Highgate Journal - Issue 1 'Creativity in a Crisis'

Highgate Journal Issue 1 February 2021

CREATIVITY IN A CRISIS

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Highlights

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Down to a Fine Art

The Ace of Clubs

The Mills Centre at Highgate School is our creative hub, it's where our art, design and technology experts impart their wisdom to budding minds. Meet our Heads of Art and DTE as they walk us through the facilities, and opportunities of The Mills Centre.

From yoga to debating to chess to cookery, we have over 150 clubs to offer at Highgate and if it's not on the menu, we will create it!

We know that the pursuit of hobbies can lead to new friendships, a great many joys and exciting careers. Find out what's on offer!

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Highgate People

A Master Plan

Gone are the days of formidable schoolmasters and Victorian discipline.

We invite you to meet some of our longest standing and most loved members of the School community who share a secret or two from days gone by, and how times have changed at Highgate.

Everything evolves over time, and we want to make sure our pupils enjoy their time at Highgate using state of the art facilities and interiors. Find out about our ten year school development plan.

Brief stories covering highlights from Wellbeing, Community and Kindness, Diversity and Inclusivity, Sustainability, and a pupil opinion piece that focuses on the importance of healthy consensual relationships, from our Head Boy and Girl.

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Keep Calm and Zoom On Our feature article reviews the impact of COVID-19 on the School, including an interview with Principal Deputy Head, Todd Lindsay, followed by a photo journey of the School in lockdown by Photographer Diarmuid McDonald.

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Together, We Shine!

Many independent schools are renowned for their top academic results but kindness and social responsibility lie behind Highgate's award winning success.

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Bridging the Poverty Gap

The pandemic has served to highlight many inequalities, perhaps most acutely obvious is the technology gap enabling children to learn.

Find out about Highgate's fundraising efforts to provide financial support and laptops for disadvantaged families across London.

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School News Bite-sized news from across the School on innovative Highate@Home learning through to online engagement programmes and the cancellation of exams.

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Editor's Note

Cover artwork by Anna Matthews Y13.

There’s a familiar rhythm to a traditional school magazine as it canters through each aspect of school life not missing anything out; a magazine which pupils leaf through together, seeing if they can spot themselves in the countless group photos. This year in the Communications team, we’ve had to work differently, as I’m sure everyone has. As a team, we decided to produce a new kind of school magazine suited to the digital world to bring an extra layer to stories you may have already seen online.

In this edition we review the year that has passed, which was obviously dominated by the coronovirus pandemic.

The school has had to adapt quickly, multiple times, and our normal ways of working have been stretched, forcing us to re-evaluate and re-prioritise. Most of all we’ve had to be creative in order to continue the things we care about.

A highlight of the magazine is our interview with Todd Lindsay, the Senior Deputy Head of the senior school. He’s the gentleman who has been running our

Art Direction & Design Rustam Eltman Writer Sureyya Hilmi Photography Diarmuid McDonald With contributions from Marco Palumbo Antonio Fersini Salima Virji Graeme Robertson Rebecca Hyam Robert W Raphaella L

Highgate School North Road London N6 4AY HighgateSchool.org.uk

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Our photographer, Diarmuid McDonald has been documenting the school during the pandemic. His photographic feature explores the points of difference – the extra cleaning, the masks, the reflective perspex screens – things we have recently become used to but in a hundred years time will be curiosities in our school archive marking this extraordinary time.

A publication called The Highgate Journal is a lapsed part of the School’s history. By reinventing the journal, specifically for our parents, we hope to tell stories from the past year in a reflective manner separately to the alumni-focused Cholmeleian magazine. In the meantime, do keep in touch with what’s happening across the school on social media – Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Clare Marie Goldsworthy Assistant Head, Communications

Editor Clare Marie Goldsworthy

/HighgateSchoolLondon @highgate1565 /highgateschool

emergency response to the pandemic by chairing our COBRA committee; you will recognise his name from the numerous parental letters he’s written of late. It’s fascinating to hear the experiences of this calm and wise leader.

The Highgate School Journal was started in 1937 and published until 1994.

Wellbeing

Mental Health and Happiness During Coronavirus Comprehensibility, manageability and meaning are the essential elements for emotional health according to sociologist Aaron Antanovski. All three of these have been challenged over the past year. But, good communication and strong support structures have helped retain comprehensibility despite all the changes that make school less familiar at the moment. New routines and a sense of community have made life more manageable.

Staff ran virtual yoga classes during the first national lockdown, which members joined via mobile devices from home.

Highgate is underpinned by positive relationships and high expectations of each other. All in our community are expected to show care, a generosity of spirit, a ‘botheredness’ about each other.

It is an environment where everyone takes responsibility for their impact on the environment, recognising that their actions can contribute to but also take away from our pool of nurture. That awareness is at the heart of everything we do, we all have a personal responsibility for the culture of

this school. This allows our young people to thrive and be known as individuals, in small communities (Year group or House group) but always knowing they are part of something bigger. We love to see the individuality of pupils thrive, but they are kept buoyant by the smaller and large communities around them. In a vibrant school our pastoral systems provide a consistency of care and support and ensure that someone is looking out for every young person.

Our Pastoral team have been on hand to deliver a steady flow of emotional support during the pandemic. Mental health workshops, daily tutor calls and Zoom counselling sessions are part of the wellbeing programme we offer.

Community & Kindness

Beyond the Bubble The course of 2020 has highlighted a disparity of personal circumstance across the world like never before, and, led by Head Adam Pettitt, fundraising and community projects have taken place across the across the school.

Our School Community Day saw pupils create postcard sized paintings and hand-written letters for nearby residents struggling with loneliness.

Our catering team have been delivering regular supplies of sandwiches and fruit to the Highgate Food Bank. Here they are preparing hampers of food and gifts (top right).

Over 80 families per week are now joining our cook-a-long club online, and some of the baked goods are donated to frontline NHS workers. Year 4 pupil Lara gifted her batch of muffins with her parents to share at the hospital where they work (bottom right).

Our DTE department set up a small cottage industry to make 6,240 face shields, 550 ear protectors and 2 ventilator masks to help local health workers stay safe. Additionally the Science department donated 280 pairs of safety goggles to the nearby Whittington Hospital.

Our Safi Coffee enterprise team collated gift hampers at Christmas to sell and raise money for the education of Ugandan children.

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Diversity & Inclusivity

Strength in Difference Embedded in the school’s aims and ethos is a commitment to being a diverse and inclusive community, so with this in hearts and minds, Highgate reflected on the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement after the killing of George Floyd in May 2020, and asked: How can we do better? How can we move beyond a commitment to diversity, to becoming an actively anti-racist and inclusive school for our whole community? Beyond words, to action?

Highgate’s pupils have been making their voices heard from the beginning: forming a Black Lives Matter working group, and collaborating with their peers at the London Academy of Excellence Tottenham to design anti-racism resources for their fellow pupils.

As Maryam, a former Highgate pupil who left in 2020 and is now at Cambridge University, put it in a video message to all pupils, “As individuals, as a school and as a society, we need to confront the reality that we haven’t done

enough to combat racism. That’s why it is so important for pupils to push for positive change.” Student President at LAE Tottenham, Dorea, added: “As students we have an innate optimism that comes from being young and intelligent. We have to harness our unique power to create long-lasting change.”

So how will Highgate make change happen, and what does a more inclusive Highgate look like? In July 2020, Salima Virji (a member of Highgate’s Senior Team) was appointed the school’s first Director of Inclusion, to oversee inclusion strategy across the entire school. An Inclusion Working Group has been established, of over 50 teaching and support staff from across all three schools, which will focus initially on pupil welfare, reviewing the curriculum, diversifying pupil admissions, and examining our teacher and staff recruitment strategy and welfare provision.

Inclusion at Highgate means that everyone who works or studies at the school deserves to be in an environment that welcomes them; enables them to be themselves; understands them; encourages questioning, self-knowledge and self-expression; and helps them not just to manage, but to thrive: to discover and pursue their passions, and to develop as individuals and members of a community. Inclusion is about everyone – helping every member of our school community to feel a true sense of belonging.

In the words of Dorea and Maryam: “Change happens with lots of small acts by the majority, not individual acts by a minority. Let's make the effort to be on the right side of history.”

Green in Quarantine The restrictive benefits of lockdown have meant some parts of our environment have benefitted quite considerably. From the reduction of car usage and consequentially the lessening of emissions through to us all taking daily exercise in the fresh air; we have all become more aware of our natural environment.

Highgate School staff and pupils have made an extra concerted effort to find imaginative ways of being more sustainable during lockdown.

Green in Quarantine Our Sixth Form-led Environment Committee launched digital publication Green in Quarantine. This quarterly bulletin is brimming with suggestions for our

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community; at Christmas there were homemade gift ideas complete with sustainable make-your-own wrap, vegan recipes and thought-provoking articles on the small changes we can all make in a bid to help our environment.

2,200 Pre-Loved Books Given Away Just before the first lockdown, Highgate School pupils donated 2,200 pre-loved books to children across London who have little or no access to libraries and reading materials.

Not only did this support disadvantaged children in their reading, which is the aim of Children’s Book Project, it helped support the re-use of books that might otherwise be shelved and forgotten about.

£7,000 raised for Trees for Cities During the Michaelmas term we hosted a sustainable non-uniform day – with pupils wearing upcycled, vintage or repaired clothes to raise money for re-forestation charity Trees for Cities. The funds will go to replanting and conserving London’s green spaces.

Fast Fashion Free February This February will be our third Fast Fashion Free February, with pupils, staff and families encouraged not to purchase any new clothes for one month, to help reduce their contribution to landfill and carbon emissions that result from shipping fast fashion across the world.

Pandemic Partnerships A Message from Pupil Heads of School Rob and Raphaella

Our Year 13 Pupil Heads of School discuss their work with our Director of Wellbeing, Dr Emma Silver, on the importance of inclusivity, friendship and relationships during a pandemic.

When we discovered last summer that we were going to be Heads of School, we were excited to return to school in September and reclaim a much longed-for sense of normality.

Looking back, these hopes were extremely optimistic, bordering on utterly naive. On returning to school, staggered timetabling, social distancing and masked conversations made life feel even more strange than it was before, and now, of course, we are back learning remotely. Our aims for the academic year, however, although slightly changed, were equally important and ambitious. Along with the Deputy Heads of School, Darius, Ela, Rosie and Wyn, we set out to enact our visions for the school.

Highgate’s recent efforts to combat both explicit and implicit forms of discrimination are testament to the school’s progressive nature and its commitment to equality and inclusivity. Like in any institution, however, issues such as gender inequality unfortunately still exist. Among young adults around our age, the most pertinent issues seemed to be those surrounding relationships and consent.

Given the taboo which typically shrouds such discussions - and the current restrictions which prohibit any close gatherings - we knew that this would be a difficult matter to approach. Yet, in spite of these limitations, we felt that it was imperative to address the issue head-on, or at least spark conversations amongst our peers.

We met and spoke with Dr Emma Silver, Director of Wellbeing, who really helped us to get the ball rolling. In these discussions, we brainstormed several ideas and finally reached the conclusion that posing questions to Dr Silver and Mr. Harrison, Head of Grindal House, about these issues, in a Q&A-style session, would be a great way of initiating wider conversations amongst the student body. We reached out to people across our year group and proceeded to compile a list of questions which would address the most prevalent anxieties and queries. In their responses, Dr Silver and Mr. Harrison both outlined legal definitions and provided anecdotes and scenarios to make the sessions relatable yet highly informative.

Talking with people throughout the year, we were happy that they had found this session to be both constructive and informative and we were especially glad that they had pointed out areas in which it could be improved. As we now look to act on this feedback, follow up further with our peers and reflect on how the format may be altered for other Year groups, we believe that we have laid a strong foundation for continued discussion.

Although this year is not how we initially thought it would be, we are thrilled that we have been able to fulfil our roles as Heads of School. Despite the extreme difficulties that this year has thrown at us, we are confident that students and teachers alike will carry on in their current manner and continue to take these challenges in their stride.

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KEEP CALM AND ZOOM ON Across the world, our personal and professional lives have been turned upside down and inside out over the past year's pandemic. And it has been our job at Highgate to make sure the children and families here have felt as little disruption as possible. Everything from lessons, to co-curricular clubs and tutor groups moved to Highgate@ Home.

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he Guardian’s Opinion Editor David Shariatmadari wrote a recent article discussing the most influential words of 2020. Top of the list: unprecedented, bubbles, zooming, pods, PPE and of course, COVID. If we told our January 2020 selves that twelve months on we would have seen a global pandemic sweep across the world resulting in a tragic loss of life, a frightening economic downturn, and the closure of schools, we genuinely would have thought it was a script from a far-fetched movie. However, here we are, resilient and resolutely dedicated to education, the nurturing of young minds, and helping our community.

In March 2020, Highgate was notified by the Government that all schools must close immediately and continue to provide on-site care for either vulnerable or keyworkers’ children. But far from shut up shop at Highgate School, action stations fired into work, with our team of 650 staff moving from the physical world to a virtual world to deliver as much normality and a top education to 1,850 pupils within 24 hours.

This collective effort was named Highate@Home.

From Teams through to Zoom, the Parent Portal and HERO, our online learning and communication resources have been standing up to the test of lockdown!

Our Head of Communications Clare Marie Goldsworthy, said “The complexity came not only from ensuring all children could dial in and have access to online learning resources, but that several hundred staff also knew how to operate remotely from Teams, and host interactive lessons. Some peoples’ WiFi was better than others, and similarly, working spaces varied greatly, but a pervading sense of teamwork and camaraderie propelled us through unprecedented times!”

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Quiz-time, Remote Random Acts of Kindness, and 200 fitness videos!

Aside from lessons, Highgate offers an all-encompassing holistic timetable of education which includes more than 150 cocurricular clubs, dozens of sports events and public performances…

The list goes on. All of this needed to move online.

From live Zoom clubs such as Remote Random Acts of Kindness, to Kahoot, chess and Open Mic (a talent show) through to video tutorials from SpEx, music and Chemistry Club, we provided the digital equivalent, or creative alterations of all activities. The School also added virtual STEM extension workshops for pupils to challenge themselves or complete additional class work.

Each week, a series of quizzes and interactive social events took place across the School too. SpEx coach Mr Jack Kenmir launched a popular Friday afternoon Sports quiz for the Lower School. Year 8’s Sam said: “Whilst being stuck at home 11 hours a day isn’t great, Highgate@Home has really helped make the situation much better. Although there have been many things I have enjoyed about it, my personal favourite was the A Team meeting on Zoom with Mr Kenmir. I enjoyed this because it was great to catch up with all my mates and to see everyone who I have been unable to see since lockdown started. Mr Kenmir also made a quiz for us to do to see who knows our A

Various measure were put in place to improve safety around the school, including staff wearing PPE and decals to help control movement.

Here we are, resilient and resolutely dedicated to education, the nurturing of young minds...

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The annual Rememberance Day event was live streamed digitally to a larger audience who couldn't attend live.

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Team the best! At the end, we talked about how we are keeping in shape for the forthcoming football season and Mr Kenmir gave us advice and some good ways on how to do so. Overall (even though I didn’t win the quiz!) Highgate@Home has really made the most of a bad situation and has really helped me and everyone I’ve spoken to get through these testing times.”

Overall, Highgate@Home has made the most of a bad situation and has really helped me to get through these testing times.

To keep children (and families and staff ) physically fit and healthy, our team of SpEx coaches created over 200 fitness videos from yoga to dance, to strength training to tennis coaching, there’s a video for everyone’s fitness preferences!

Lockdown blogs, Art Survival Kits and social media mayhem!

Dozens of staff and pupils from all segments of the school took part in our series of lockdown blogs that were launched to capture different experiences during Highgate@Home.

DTE pupils created soaps to gift staff at the onset of our first national lockdown.

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Head of Lower School, Mr Sam Pullan’s blog ‘You Don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone’ describes how raw and abrupt the shift to remote learning was: “Currently, it feels like we are in a giant 'laboratory of teaching.' It’s early doors, but who knows what wonders will emerge before the referee checks his watch?”.

Other titles aptly convey the sense of humour surrounding the new way of teaching and learning, we had 'Art from your armchair' and 'Zeus on Zoom' through to 'Pilot Episode’ and pupil reflections called 'Disbelief' and 'Isolation.'

Our sense of community kept everyone’s spirits up.

The Mills Centre team of creatives came up with some ingenious pick-me-ups from DIY in the home lessons, to upcycling furniture through to the generous handing out of ‘Art Survival Kits’ to pupils.

Highgate’s social media platforms were extra busy and brimming with Highgate@Home news; we had regular ‘take over’ features on Instagram such as ‘The Show Must Go Online’ – a virtual showcasing of pupils’ amazing theatrical performances. We also launched a

Staff from across the school adapted to new ways of working as part of the Highgate@Home initiative to keep the School running as smoothly as possible during lockdown.

feature called ‘Musical Highlights’ to share harmonies, solos and cleverly blended ensembles from staff, pupils and alumni.

Similarly, pupils were delighted to spot themselves appearing in our ‘Head's Photos’ on Instagram which featured images Mr Pettitt took of Year 13 pupils as he toured the School on Thursday 23 March, the day all UK schools were told to close by the Government. These were shared daily across the Easter break to delight many of the students, and celebrate their final few days in school as a year group, which had come to an abrupt end.

Book. Deliver. Read: orders prepped for delivery!

When the school was open but with health and safety restrictions, our librarian team operated a book delivery system. It involves pupils pre-ordering interesting reads from the library, and then having them delivered in goody bags at form time!

Prior to covid, Highgate enjoyed a series of regular workshops from authors, journalists and industry professional. During lockdown, we have still been able to enjoy the benefits of our visiting experts via online seminars; there have been short story writing tutorials, poetry recitals, and historians ‘Zooming’ in to inspire pupils.

Events go digital From our Open Days to Parents Evenings to Remembrance Day and Carol Services at Christmas, all of our celebrations and annual events have taken place but virtually. Remembrance Day was live streamed via our web portal, and we made a Christmas carol service into a virtual card to share ahead of the festive break.

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Our virtual Open Day needed to deliver all of the same detail, vibrancy and energy as 'real life' events.

Our virtual Open Day needed to deliver all of the same detail, vibrancy and energy as the ‘real life’ events that usually take place over several weekends and evenings.

We calculated a total of 148 minutes of video footage was shot to produce 53 short films, along with 26 live Q&A sessions across two events where over 2,000 parents dialled in to attend virtually! Although this was a 360 change to our usual Open Events, key elements proved to be more successful and easier to monitor. Top hits included Hunt the Griffin - our gamified children's feature, and the ease parents found being able to take part from the comfort of home, without travelling in the rain!

Our Open Day was run virtually for the first time ever, receiving excellent feedback from parents and pupils that attended.

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Todd Lindsay has led the school’s COBRA committee through countless changes and challenges over the last nine months as the School was forced to close for the first time since WW2.

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s an experienced Principal Deputy Head, Todd’s leadership has been and continues to be crucial.

We caught up with him in December to get his inside perspective.

In February 2020, with rumours mounting that schools might close, what was happening in School behind the scenes?

I remember there was a lot of anxiety around people travelling in February half-term, especially those who had been skiing in Italy, which was a kind of epicentre for the virus. At that time, I don’t think anybody could have envisaged that it would have resulted in the closure of schools and a national lockdown. We’ve learned so much about the virus and how to operate since then. We set up COBRA, which is essentially a COVID Management committee, and we drew together colleagues from across the school, and, with a lot of IT involvement and Health and Safety, held weekly, and sometimes daily meetings either very early before the school day or at the close.

What were you thinking when the school was told to close on Friday 20 March?

There was a growing sense of anxiety, the week leading up to lockdown, sweeping across the parent, pupil and staff body. For example, there were around 200 pupils absent from school on the Monday, 400 on Tuesday and then 600 by Wednesday. We knew it was going to become very difficult to deliver education. I was in some ways very pleased to have some sort of clarity from the Government with the national closure of schools. People think that as an independent school, you can do what you like, and although it’s true that there might be some leeway, it’s not necessarily sensible to do anything that isn’t in line with national guidance. We were quite fortunate in that HERO and JUNO our online learning platforms already existed.

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we started with Teams and progressed to that quickly afterwards. The monumental team effort that went on behind making sure pupils were able to continue to learn from home is something we should celebrate. To reinvent the delivery of education and train your staff in the space of a few weeks is an enormous achievement.

Of course, the school was not completely closed as a number of pupils at Highgate have parents who are key workers.

Yes, co-ordinating the provision of care for keyworker children was a large part of my role. I was liaising with partner schools to see if there was anyone we could help with, and occasionally we helped in holidays. We were lucky that the number of staff volunteers that we have who were willing to come in and support was immense.

We were quite strict though in who we allowed to come into School, we looked at whose journeys were shortest and safest. The majority of time we were saying to staff to stay at home and stay safe!

How did the lockdown and new methods of delivering remote lessons affect you personally?

I live on site which helps. I was coming in two or three times a week, so I managed to keep to a routine and a semblance of normality. I was trying to do the best with my own family too!

I just tried to focus on making my lessons as good as they could be; it was all new, but the way people adjusted was remarkable. A real high point of the Summer term for me was being able to design a two or three lesson course for the Year 11 and Year 13 pupils. It was an amazing opportunity for creativity, and I really loved liaising with colleagues and children on that those two weeks were the happy weeks.

How did you find planning for the re-opening the School in September and making changes to the structure of the day?

It was agreed we all needed a few weeks in July off, everyone was exhausted, and we needed to recharge.

We were probably all thinking, ‘by September it’ll all be back to normal.’ But by mid-August, Cobra had to come back with a vengeance to plan and prepare for the return to school. We rallied round making plans with our Compliance Officer, our Health and Safety specialist, and our brilliant catering team who are so amenable and flexible. Everyone applied themselves with utter diligence, creativity and forensic eye for detail. In terms of the school day, we were given guidance from government. Things like staggering starting and finishing times and lunches was very important to minimise numbers coming in at any one point, and keeping pupils in year group bubbles, which is difficult to achieve in a secondary school setting! We just had to work all of that up.

We’ve been trying to do as much as we can as well as be as safe as we can, with this constant balance in mind, how have you found that?

The Government set out the safety principles from infectious diseases experts and to be frank, the whole reopening of schools was a massive compromise. They decided, for the wellbeing of pupils, for mental and physical health, and for working parents, we needed to get pupils back into schools. At no point did they necessarily say that it was without risk. We had to accept this and do our very best to minimise those risks for all members of the Highgate community coming back on-site. We do agree that having the children in school is best for them and much more enjoyable for us as teachers. Quite often, what I’m balancing, is the operations in school to make sure that is 100% compliant, with the communication of guidelines to my colleagues and the parent body. Because opening the School is not as safe as lockdown, you uncover very quickly a massive spectrum of anxiety. Some of that is entirely justified, because people are vulnerable or have health issues, and we have a duty to protect them, and some of that is legal and some of that is moral.

Governors have also been involved, including a GP, and several parents who are scientists. We have been very lucky to have this support and reassurance. An expert parent working as a senior medical clinician in infectious diseases, incredibly busy in their own career, has made time to speak to us.

You have become an expert in contact tracing and close contact!

Behind the scenes, every time we get a positive test, we must contact the local authority who triage the situation. The key thing is people shouldn’t be coming to school if they have any symptoms. It’s a 48 hour window we have to trace back over with the pupil’s Head of Year or House. We look at who they travelled with, who they sat next to, who they chatted with, and we talk the child through what close contact definition means: every person in the school needs to know what this means. We then have to contact all the staff who the pupils have been taught by, who then give us the seating plans. This takes some time because we want to be as absolutely accurate as we can be. We actually have a two-metre ruler stick, and we measure the distance from any person contaminated! It took me three hours to walk around every desk to identify all those who

could have been in contact with a child who tested positive yesterday! In the circumstances, the process is necessarily rigorous and robust.

It sounds very labour intensive, how are staff coping?

I am very aware of the significant burden on staff and we are very conscious of trying to make sure staff are emotionally and physically okay too, constantly looking out for those with family commitments and those who don’t have a comfortable enough space to work, day in, day out. What was clear was that although we were all weathering the same storm, we weren’t all in the same boat.

That’s a mantra from Adam that I stuck to. We needed to be patient and kind, not get frustrated or drive ourselves in a way that we usually would. I learnt that there was no point lamenting what we could or couldn’t do. There was no point entertaining the thought that, ‘it’ll be ok when we go back to normal’; I learned quickly to avoid raising expectations or false hopes. Being aware it was a much longer-term issue enabled me to focus on the day to day and short term.

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To reinvent the delivery of education and train your staff to be competent in the space of four or five weeks is an enormous achievement.

Are there any positives you think we can take away, anything you think we might continue with in the future?

The merits of ease of access to parents’ evenings, and the virtual open day that was innovative and engaging are definite positive take-aways. It’s maybe made us communicate a bit better because we’ve just had to! I hope the sustainability element will be boosted; people have been cycling to work, rather than get public transport where they can; there will be significant wins.

People are more mindful of their mental and physical health as well.

What has this experience, this time, taught you about the school?

I think I’ve felt very fortunate to work at a school that already had a strong sense of community and already had a lot of strong values and professional attitudes.

That enabled us to adapt and change and persevere in the way that we have. Once we had worked out that we could still deliver core education, we immediately started thinking “what can we do next?” We maximised what we can do in terms of pastoral contact, the number of things we’re delivering through films and live streaming such as chapel and assembly have been so heartening.

Most of all, we stayed true to our principles as a community, like opening up our grounds for exercise and fundraising for LAE Tottenham, it brought out our underlying strengths like compassion, community and thinking of others. I have colleagues around me whose professional judgement and commitment I completely trust and the sense of community spirit has been overwhelming.

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I have colleagues around me whose professional judgement and commitment I completely trust.

Thank you, Todd, for your reflections and we wish you and the COBRA team all the best with the challenges ahead!

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During coronavirus, the images we see are sometimes unusual, sometimes heartening and sometimes haunting; without doubt, they would have been unimaginable only one year previously.

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Together, We Shine!

2020 was a twisting, turning ride from start to finish with exteme highs and lows. In this article we focus on one of those highs - when Highgate to won a number of prestigious awards, marking decades of hard work from a very dedicated team of staff, Governors and of course, pupils.

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any independent schools are renowned for their top academic results, but what marks schools apart when it comes to national awards? Over the past 18 months, Highgate has been titled Independent Senior School of the Year 2019, Independent School of the Year for Contribution to Social Mobility 2019, overall Independent School of the Year 2019 from ISOTY Awards, Independent School of the Year 2020 from the TES (Times Education Supplement), and last but by no means least, London Independent School of the Decade from The Sunday Times Parent Power.

Our collection of awards were not only given for year on year academic success, but for what sets us apart as leading independent School, for a cultural edge inextricably linked to community and kindness. This is what Highgate's Head Adam Pettitt refers to often as one of our key values – a quality present in the ‘staff DNA’ which percolates throughout the School.

Alastair McCall, Parent Power editor from the Sunday Times, commended Highgate for its role in promoting social mobility and philanthropy: “It has played a key role as lead educational sponsor in the establishment of the London Academy of Excellence Tottenham, the Sunday Times Sixth Form

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College of the Year, seconding staff and expertise to help transform educational prospects in one of London’s most deprived areas, and Highgate’s Chrysalis Programme delivers timetabled classes, sessions in partner schools and events to thousands of children in more than 50 partner schools each year.

Few schools can do more to help raise educational standards with head teacher Adam Pettitt even running marathons to raise money to buy laptops for children in schools less fortunate than his own to help deliver online learning in the age of coronavirus.

It makes Highgate a thoroughly deserving winner of our London Independent School of the Decade award.”

Head, Adam Pettitt, emphasised how important the continuation of partnership is for progress: “It is my fervent hope that other independent schools will be able to use this model of partnership to build on what we and others have been able to do. I’m absolutely delighted by these awards, and hugely proud – thank you very much!”

Former Head Boy and Girl, Tomer and Orla, hold up the winning TES awards.

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Social mobility and partnership We were delighted to be recognised with the title of Independent School of the Year for Contribution to Social Mobility 2019 from ISOTY Awards.

At Highgate, our Chrysalis Programme involves Highgate teachers, with assistance from pupils where appropriate, delivering projects to state schools that range from summer schools to mentoring and revision, from university admissions test preparation (including Maths and Physics Aptitude Tests) to expert interview preparation for applications to Cambridge, Oxford and medical schools.

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To activate our robust and rewarding programme to promote social mobility, over 80 Highgate teachers are involved in partnership teaching across 18 departments, either by giving timetabled classes, delivering sessions in partner schools or running events for partner school pupils and staff at Highgate.

Highgate’s decade of partnership teaching and unwavering dedication to social mobility was brought to bear with the establishment of the London Academy of Excellence in Tottenham.

We share our facilities to borough and county sports events to support youth exercise in one of the most deprived parts of the country.

We have formed close bonds with Haringey Sport Development leading to members of staff running teams for the local borough and pupils in Athletics, Water Polo, Aquathlon, Rowing, Tennis, Hockey and Weightlifting.

Chrysalis projects have an impact on thousands across London. During the last academic year, we have worked with 51 state schools and over 3,500 children from partner schools.

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Highgate’s decade of partnership teaching and unwavering dedication to social mobility was brought to bear with the establishment of the London Academy of Excellence in Tottenham (LAET), east Haringey in 2017.

As LAET’s lead educational sponsor, Highgate provides the full-time equivalent of almost 7 members of teaching staff. In August 2019, LAET’s first cohort completed their studies and pupils achieved 70% A*-B in their A-Levels. More than half of LAET students won places at Russell Group universities, compared to the 1% of Tottenham school leavers in 2017.

In August 2020, 11 pupils from LAET accepted offers from Oxford or Cambridge University for courses commencing in September 2020 and over two thirds secured places at Russell Group universities.

Our Community Partnerships Director, Sarah Butterworth, says giving back is inextricably part of Highgate’s ethos: “When you have so many different, diverse people in your community, it is hard to think that only certain people have access here and only certain people have access there. It’s really hard to even consider a school not doing this.”

It was especially exciting news when our sibling school, London Academy of Excellence in Tottenham, won the very well-deserved title of The Sunday Times Sixth Form College.

Alastair McCall said of LAET: “The children have scored heavily in their A-levels both last year and again this year, with more than two-thirds of the students progressing to Russell Group universities and 11 gaining places at Oxford or Cambridge this summer, unprecedented numbers for the area.

The dynamic partnerships with Spurs and Highgate School in the independent sector promise even greater things in the years ahead.”

Cream of the careers crop

Lifetime Achievement

Our Careers and Employability team were thrilled to win the accolade of Best Careers Programme at the 2020 RateMyApprenticeship Awards.

Dr Andrew Szydlo was awarded with a silver Pearson Teaching Award for 47 years of sharing a passion for Chemistry inside and outside of the classroom, to the benefit of countless pupils and numerous colleagues within the school and the wider academic community.

Highgate’s Careers programme, shaped by pupil, parent and employer feedback, is firmly embedded into the curriculum and contains a series of year-group specific activities including Q&A sessions (with professionals from diverse career pathways) and practice employment interviews. The benefits extend to pupils beyond Highgate: evening events such as the annual Careers Fair, which will be held remotely in 2021, welcomes hundreds of pupils from across the capital to hear from delegates from a host of different industries.

Louise Shelley, Deputy Head, added: “Our aim has been to develop a dynamic Careers and Employability programme that responds to the rapidly evolving external markets and enables our pupils (and those from our partner schools) to develop the requisite employability skills and values to be successful.”

He was presented the award by Head Adam Pettitt, accompanied in socially distanced fashion by previous pupil Joe Connor, long standing colleague Director of Design Technology Andrew Thomson and Director of Partnership Sarah Butterworth. Dr Szydlo said on winning: “I am simply honoured that my work has been recognised and to have won Silver for the Lifetime Achievement Award.”

You can read a detailed account of his fascinating career at Highgate and beyond on page 42.

Louise Shelley, Deputy Head (left), and Amandeep Jaspal, Careers and Employability Specialist, accepted the award for Best Careers Programme from the 2020 RateMyApprenticeship Awards.

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Bridging the Poverty Gap

Adam Pettitt prepares to run from Highgate School to Tottenham Hotspur football stadium.

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The school community have raised over £160,000 through a series of fitness fundraisers.

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00km by bike, 200km by foot and 100km by water – that’s just a snapshot of the distance covered by our two recent mammoth fitness fundraising events. 50 pupils, staff and parents took part to help raise money to support families in Tottenham impacted by the pandemic. Why Tottenham and why such a ‘marathon’ effort?

In 2017, Highgate School in conjunction with Tottenham Hotspur (as business sponsors), set up The London Academy of Excellence in Tottenham. This free, Sixth Form college was set up to provide a place of academic rigour for teenagers in one of the UK’s most deprived boroughs, Northumberland Park.

As the pandemic has taken grip, many of our LAET families have been worst hit by both the economic and emotional impact of coronavirus. We have identified 200 families at LAE Tottenham who need weekly, ongoing support for essentials such as food, clothing and utility bills.

Head Adam Pettitt, and Jan Balon, LAE Tottenham’s Headteacher donned their trainers and joined forces to successfully complete a marathon, running from Highgate to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. This spurred on pupils and staff from across the school community to take part with individual fitness challenges including other marathons, half marathons, hikes, bike rides and swims.

Jan Balon said: “Thanks to those who have supported the LAET fundraiser, families will now receive support for food, rent and utility bills, and will now be able to keep their children focused on their studies here at LAET.” Community Spirit Much camaraderie and joviality took place during the course of fundraising activities, evidence of the strength of Highgate and LAET’s team spirit, despite the torrential rain

on the morning of the event, COVID-19 social distancing restrictions and differing levels of fitness. Sam Pullan, Head of Lower School, who took part said “I think the final lap around the Spurs Stadium would have finished me off, being an Arsenal supporter.”

Head Adam Pettitt finished his second marathon this year at Tottenham Hotspur stadium with LAET Head Jan Balon.

Laps for Laptops Marathon fundraisers are not a novel idea at Highgate either. Head Adam Pettitt is a seasoned marathon runner and raised over £75,000 back in June 2020 running 96 laps (equivalent to 26 miles) around our school field, to buy over 350 laptops for state school pupils across London. His Laps for Laptops marathon addressed the digital poverty gap between those able to be schooled remotely and those who simply do not have the tools.

Mr Pettitt said: “The COVID-19 crisis has done much to reveal existing inequalities and injustices in our society. The impact of ‘digital poverty’ on children’s educations and futures might not be something that we’d considered in life prelockdown. I am incredibly proud of Highgate@Home - Highgate’s remote learning operation – our teachers, pupils, parents and carers are working tirelessly to ensure learning continues during lockdown. One of the reasons that Highgate@Home is working so well is that all of our pupils have access to a computer or tablet: either their family’s, or borrowed from school. Some children at our partner schools are falling behind in their education because they have little or no access to a computer. Perhaps they are sharing a smartphone with another sibling – but it’s hard to go to school on a phone.”

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The COVID-19 crisis has done so much to reveal existing inequalities and injustices in our society.

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Jen Sacks, Head of Art and Design, among pupil artwork in the painting studio at the Mills Centre for Art and Design.

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“Design is in everything we make, but it’s also between those things. It’s a mix of craft, science, storytelling, propaganda, and philosophy.”

Erik Adigard.

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side from Highgate’s award-winning academic successes, there is a separate and sometimes lesser-known hive of creative activity: the Mills Centre for Art and Design. And in reference to Adigard’s quote, here is where pupils harness their creative energy, blending all their subject knowledge to produce end results, that in many cases, have led to top careers in design, art and engineering. One half of our Mills Centre is designated to Design, Technology and Engineering, and the other half, to Art and Design. Here we invite you inside this dynamic hub, introduce you to our team of specialist teachers and showcase students’ creations.

Artist mentors One of the truly inspiring qualities of Highgate teaching staff, is not only the pervading sense of joy in imparting knowledge, but that the teachers are talented professionals in their own field.

Head of Art and Design, Jenny Sacks, shares how this particularly attracted her to Highgate: “The department has a large team of teachers and two technicians who have all worked as professional artists. They bring a huge amount of experience from the creative industries"

Personal projects Pupils are given a huge amount of autonomy to explore different mediums, and refine their talents when it comes to creativity. The beauty of the courses at Highgate is that although they are structured, the students can undertake their own independent research and discover artists who inspire them in their work.

"The department prides itself on facilitating projects that the pupils choose themselves.

The materials and processes they use are led by these ideas which results in diverse and ambitious pieces of work being made. I was drawn to the department for this reason, the challenge and stimulation of helping pupils to undertake unique and personal projects each term.”

Our Head of Art says: “The courses require pupils to project manage and problem solve.

They are given the opportunity to initiate their own field of research and execute it in a medium that they feel is appropriate. The courses are academically rigorous but also allow for play, risk taking and creativity.

Compared to some other subjects we are not dealing with fixed course content, so it definitely keeps us on our toes.”

All supplies on tap Our team of artists teaching within the Mills Centre have made sure all pupils have access to tools and facilities whatever their creative leaning, progressing to more specialist and advanced equipment and workshops as they move up the School and if they study Art at GCSE or A level.

There are five studios, plus a project room, gallery space, two kilns, a dark room and a designated space for making projections. A specialist Art IT suite enables pupils to learn with the most up to date, industry standard design software. A wide variety of projects in lower school are designed to make sure pupils

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Harry went on to study fashion at Central St Martins in London.

use exciting techniques and materials such as drypoint etching in Year 7, architectural model making in Year 8, and wearable sculpture in Year 9.

Everything from paints, canvases and technology is included in the School fees, so there is no rushing around for parents or carers to buy unusual shaped canvases and bespoke coloured paints! Ms Sacks says: “We supply the pupils with an extraordinary range of materials and equipment. This ranges from professional standard photography and film editing software, large scale canvases, oil paints, casting and sculptural materials, access to 3D printing and laser cutting.”

If pupils need to spend extra time on their portfolio or homework, Highgate offers an Open Studio policy after school until 6pm.

Students can come in to work on practical pieces and have additional tutorials with their teachers.

Bespoke design course founded at Highgate School Ms Sacks says: “Our pupils have a lot of freedom at GCSE and A level to take their projects into a Fine Art, Design or Multidisciplinary direction. At A level the pupils can select Art or ID. Interdisciplinary Design, or ID as we call it for short, an A level course exclusive to Highgate, was established by our previous Head of Art, Clare Marie Goldsworthy. It starts with a series of design focused workshops following

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which pupils develop personal Design projects. The course is especially suitable for pupils interested in a career in fashion, interior design or architecture, blending Design Technology with Art. Our Art pupils start with Fine Art based workshops in painting, printing, sculpture, drawing and photography. Both our A level courses prepare pupils to gain access to the best foundation and degree courses nationally and internationally.”

A career in the Arts When it comes to the next stage of education, pupils are mentored to build the portfolios they need to gain top marks at A level and to get on to their top choice of foundation or degree level course. It comes as no surprise that post Highgate pupils gain places at top universities and art colleges, both in the UK and abroad, including Central St Martins in London, Parsons in New York and California Institute for the Arts.

Ms Sacks says “For many the foundation course gives them the option to transition from school life to a more independent life at Art college or University. It can also help pupils who are unsure about what they want to focus on; an opportunity to diagnose their strengths and interests beyond school.

However, a significant number of our pupils opt to apply directly to degree level and have strong enough portfolios to access these courses.”

3D animation, photography and portfolio extension co-curricular clubs If your child is keen to expand their portfolio, explore a more specialised artistic technique, or simply supplement their academic timetable with some relaxing art classes, Highgate offers a number of co-curricular clubs which focus on creativity. There are termly courses in textiles, life drawing, sculpture, 3D animation, photography and art portfolio extension.

Ms Sacks says: “When we are not affected by coronavirus we have visiting artists and practitioners offering workshops such as portrait painting from life or making homemade biomaterials. There are also pupil exhibitions throughout the year as well as some external shows to promote student artwork. Over 300 pieces of pupil work are hung around the school on display for everyone.”

(Top to bottom) Hailey K Y13 Luke M Y7 Alicia G Y13

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(Clockwise from top left) Annabelle E Y11 Joseph L Y9 Erin C Y11

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(Top to bottom) Emily L Y13 Margaux M Y9

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(Clockwise from top left) Dylan H Y11 Natasha G Y11 Matan M Y13

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(Clockwise from top) Mia Z Y11 Perry S Y13

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design.technology If we venture down to the lower level of the Mills Centre, we can meet the expert team and observe with awe the expanse of top facilities to stretch even the most talented budding designers.

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ur DTE workshops are equipped with state-of-theart equipment which includes but is not limited to a laser cutter, six 3D printers, a milling machine, lathe, PCB mill, sublimation press and FESTO pneumatics workstations. Consequently, students are able to access a varied curriculum with a plethora of projects covering different aspects of DTE during their academic journey, and produce high-quality accurate outcomes for their NEA coursework at GCSE and A level.

Reading, reckoning and wroughting Director of DTE, Andy Thomson explains why Highgate has added the suffix ‘E’ to the end of more commonly recognised subject of DT and how it has

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evolved to be a very popular A level choice for children wanting to pursue a career in design engineering: “The strength of this subject is its ability to keep adapting and changing with the world around us. Out of all the subjects in the curriculum, DTE is probably one of the oldest via its wood and metal working roots.

It has often been considered the three R’s of education are reading, writing and arithmetic.

However, it was originally reading, reckoning and wroughting (the word used for making).

So, making has always been at the heart of education. The name of the subject has changed from woodwork to CDT, DT and the latest iteration, DTE. Around 5 years ago we added Engineering as a suffix to highlight the focus of the department on this academically rigorous discipline that amalgamates the practical application of maths and science. It also reflects the pathway that students follow leading them to the OCR GCSE and A level called ‘Design Engineering’. Whatever the subject is called, the fundamentals are the same: students apply their creativity, problem solving, and knowledge into making something which has a purpose. Highgate prepares students for the participation in tomorrow’s rapidly changing technologies, and invites them to become a creative problem solver, as an individual and a member of a team. It also enables them to combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetics, environmental issues, industrial practices and entrepreneurial skills. Students learning about Design, Technology & Engineering strengthens their critical thinking and problem-solving skills within a creative environment, enabling them to develop and make prototypes/products that solve real world problems, considering both their own and others’ needs, wants, aspirations and values.”

Thought leaders in engineering education Mr Thomson recently wrote an article for OCR, the DT exam board, focusing on the importance of creating the right creative environment for a child to thrive and find their own subject specialisms. He believes this, combined with specialist teachers who can impart their passion and specialist knowledge for a subject, are a winning formula.

“The staff make the department. We are lucky to have six full-time DTE teachers, one parttime Physics teacher and three technicians from KS2-5. All of us have backgrounds in either Engineering, Product Design, Sport Innovation, Architecture or Graphic Design.

This multi-discipline among the staff means that students can get support in a variety of challenges that they may face during their projects in DTE; it is beneficial because problems can be looked at in different perspectives to arrive at a working solution.”

In 2019, the DTE department was awarded the prestigious Design and Technology Mark from the Design and Technology Association (DATA), a quality mark which is intended as an aspirational badge accredited to secondary departments that demonstrates excellence in Design and Technology teaching and learning.

In addition to a vast selection of equipment, pupils also have access to a multitude of cocurricular clubs that can help them discover a new element of DT they might not otherwise have got a chance to enjoy. From VEX Robotics through to Automobile Society and Junior DTE, Mr Thomson says “DTE is all about application and through these clubs and many competitions – students can completely unleash their passion and often find their second home. There is such a buzz in the department after school, you can feel the energy and the dynamic changes from teachers leading the curriculum to students taking over and the teachers learning with them. Robotics has been a such a great vehicle for getting students involved with STEM. Some of the most successful students at robotics have now gone on to work for Dyson to help continue to develop their automated robots. Also, via these clubs and competitions students engage with other students and industries outside of the Highgate bubble so are developing their ‘soft skills’ which are so important in the place of work beyond school.”

Highgate DTE also has its very own social media channels where the pupils can often showcase their work in action, and share their passion for the subject which has been especially useful during covid.

DTE Pathways after Highgate DTE Students at Highgate School are encouraged to consider various pathways following their A level in Design Engineering.

Most students choose the traditional university route with such courses as Mechanical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechatronics, and Industrial Design being popular. The degree apprenticeship route is also becoming more popular, with students recently going onto the Dyson School of Design Engineering programme which entails the students working part-time in a paid position at Dyson whilst studying an Engineering degree that is fully sponsored by the company. This pathway ensures that students are guaranteed a job at the end of the programme and are free from any debt. Other more adventurous and business-minded students have gone down the road of entrepreneurship and set up their own design companies.

The wider community Pupils can snap up the opportunity (in noncovid times) to enjoy subject excursions ranging from aerospace reclamation upcycling centres and local recycling centres to industry expeditions and Robotics events in Bologna, Munich, Taiwan and America. Mr Thomson says these trips are “a great way of showing students how DTE is connected to the outside world and gives extra context to the content they learn in school.”

Our DTE team work closely in the School’s partnership projects and have connected with over 462 students since 2015 from diverse backgrounds including LAC (children in care) and many local state schools where facilities aren’t available.

Environmental Impact Sustainability is embedded through the whole DTE curriculum with topics focusing on renewable energy, wild life sanctuaries, six R’s (reuse, reduce, recycle, refuse, reduce & rethink) built-in-obsolescence, upcycling and even waste management. Mr Thomson says “There is a heavy focus on pupils only producing products that are either made from upcycled materials or can later be recycled themselves: The upcycling projects we do in Year 10 and 12 involve taking the students to either a recycling centre in Finchley or an aeroplane scrap yard in Norfolk where they take parts destined for landfill and upcycle them into a product which they can sell. We try to only use recyclable materials in the department and we have 7 separate materials recycling bins for all our waste. This is then either recycled or reused. The dream one day is to have a recycling centre attached to the department where we can recycle all the school wastes and turn them into products which can either be sold or made by the local community.”

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Lyrical Lockdown The beauty of music is that although it’s an allencompassing sensory pleasure to watch live, it’s entirely possible to listen to and learn remotely too.

Live performances took place around the school towards the end of Michaelmas term.

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oronavirus, and some of the emotions caused by separation have inspired the composition of many beautiful songs. During lockdown, our musicians and chorale members at Highgate rallied round to present a series of moving performances, from solo cello renditions of Cinema Paradiso to blended chorale consorts of the Beatles’ Yesterday and William Byrd’s Ave Verum Corpus, aptly capturing the mood and nostalgia for times before covid.

These were shown via our digital platforms, from YouTube through to Instagram and our online learning platforms such as HERO. The pupils also enjoyed being able to share their joy for music across a series of Summer Instagram Takeovers that were so popular, we followed up with a further another in the Michaelmas Term.

Former Highgate music pupil, Rachel Tabizel used the channel for a week to showcase the pupils’ hard work on composing contemporary music.

The feature depicted a breadth of music genres including hip-hop, soul, grime and rock from bands that have formed at Highgate.

For the 75th anniversary of VE Day in 2020, Mr Sam Evans, our Head of Vocal Studies hosted a sing along tutorial for Vera Lynn’s We’ll Meet Again, with pupils and their families sending in their own renditions over the unusually warm May bank holiday weekend when all were in lockdown. The poignant song evoked memories of WW2 when families were similarly cut off from friends and relatives.

As we approached the festivities of Christmas, the many musical performances that mark our Holiday Season from Carol Services in the Chapel, Nativity Shows and Orchestral end of term celebrations were streamed online for parents and families to enjoy.

Although this didn’t entirely replace the live energy of the festive season, we kept spirits up with a virtual Christmas Card featuring a film reel of musical performances and plays from across the school, including staff.

To welcome the New Year 2021, pupils and staff have been treated to a surprise feature across the school: pop up busking spots!

With electric sockets adept for microphones, electric guitars (maybe even a drum kit at a squeeze), these vibrant semi circles on the ground are situated across the Senior School and are

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stages for anyone with musical talents to perform in during lunch and after school. These covidfriendly areas were illustrated by our resident creative and alumnus Marco Palumbo, whom you can read more about on page 38.

Director of Music, Jonathan Murphy says "We wanted to try to create spaces where musicians can get up and perform around school.

I remember busking as a young musician and loving how close I was to the audience and how immediate their feedback was: if they liked your playing they stayed and if you are lucky they give you money! Being so close to your audience and being able to feed off their mood and enthusiasm for your playing is an amazing feeling.

You can really make someone’s day by playing some beautiful music. I also believe you can learn a lot about performing by busking.

And I want the school to be filled with the sound of music!"

Beyond these efforts, we plan on showcasing a series of mini concerts to pupils at various points during the term, on the digital screens in each of the classrooms, where live performances can be streamed in real time, in the same way that we successfully streamed Remembrance Day. Music Teacher Emma Rivlin said “We thought it might be fun if we recorded them in a variety of locations around school - someone behind the camera to give a more ‘live’ feeling to the performances.”

Writing the Pandemic 'The Windhover' is a pupil-led magazine for creative writing which gives a platform for pupils to share their creativity, their opinions and feel heard.

N°5 MICH AE LM A S T E R M 2020

Rebecca Hyam, our Director of Reading, Creativity and Litreacy, collates our pupils' creative writing magazine, 'The Windhover' She says: "The Windhover was launched by our former writerin-residence, Roland Chambers, two years ago. We wanted to develop creativity in the school and to celebrate some of the pupils' most interesting work.

Many of the poems, short stories and reviews have been inspired by creative writing workshops and visiting speakers, including award-winning poets Anthony Anaxagorou and David Harsent and journalist Giles Coren, as well as classroom led writing."

From the outset, the magazine has featured writers from across the whole school. It has been amazing to witness how the first editions led by pupils who have gone on to win prizes, including Liv G, have inspired others to follow.

Rebecca continues: "The most recent edition was a joint project with LAET and includes photography and paintings

alongside the writing. These all relate to the theme of 'home,' which was especially uplifting in the face of the challenges that everyone was facing. Pupils from Tottenham to Highgate have given us a window-framed view of their worlds that are powerful, poignant and humorous. The Windhover captures everything that I love most about Highgate: children creating something original, brave and compelling for its own sake, and then sharing it with all of us."

Year 11 pupil Liv had a national commendation for her poem Altneuland, which was selected as one of the top poems in The 2020 Foyle Young Poets of the Year. It has been published on The Poetry Society’s website and will appear in an online anthology in the spring. ‘Altneuland’ is about Israel and takes the reader on a sensory tour of a war torn middle eastern landscape strewn with emotional and physical wreckage and makes us grieve for a beauty ruined by conflict.

Issue 5 of The Windhover showcases a painting

by Natalie S Y11 on the cover.

Altneuland Beyond the screen of sticky-blue plumbago, the street cats mewl as they lick their gashes. Siesta-eyed widows on balconies order children to silence, leave their washing to parch in the khamsin.

You walk the pavements as shadows lengthen, taxi drivers glass-eyed in blistered cars, teen soldiers laughing and smoking in clusters by the side of the road, back from hitchhiking on motorways.

They did not notice Herzl’s silhouette sitting on the water tower flicker, gulls perched in the hollow of a folded arm, or crane their necks to see the caterpillar track chains and old tank bodies embroidered into brindle vineyard hills.

And eucalyptus groves search for water in sands of empty playgrounds.

The traffic island’s arid grass has begun to crumble. A greasy falafel stand blares Mizrahi music, awning tongue-folded. Grape juice dribbling down a toddler’s chin and splashing, the wheel of a pram spins mauve into the tarmac’s veins. You strip jacaranda leaves, fistfuls of lantana flowers, sorbet-hued, for confetti, and watch the absence of a breeze, sparrows hovering and hopping across a congregation of plastic chairs, hairline-fractured.

A muezzin calls evening prayer in the cadence of church bells and the redolent rain comes, slithering along the dust, the banks, the rocks, slavers into clogged gutters, until the Sea of Galilee’s stomach swells and Herzl too begins to rust.

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Meet Marco Palumbo, our talented Senior Art technician and Illustrator.

Much loved by staff and pupils alike, we interview the enigmatic man who has been working at Highgate for seventeen years after attending the school as a boy.

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arco is not an easy man to describe; a phenomenally talented artist and technician, a Punk musician, an Italian who is devoted to his family, a man with an incredible work ethic who never sits still, someone for whom creativity comes as naturally as breathing. But it's safe to say that Highgate wouldn't be Highgate without him. As our Senior Art Technician he supports the Art teachers brilliantly and gives one-toone tutorials to pupils in graphic design, screen printing, video editing and casting. He's also the School's inhouse illustrator, assisting the Communications team with the production of creative collateral. When he is isn’t working at Highgate, Marco is a professional Graphic Designer. He also runs a record label, plays in a number of punk rock bands AND is father to three boys!

If this doesn't earn him enough kudos, Marco also owns a tattoo studio, located at the bottom of his garden!

How did you find life as a pupil at Highgate?

I was at Highgate for nine years between 1987 – 1996 and I really enjoyed my time here, especially the two Sixth Form years, which is a time that I still get very nostalgic about. It was a very different school back then, certainly rougher around the edges and, of course, it was an all-boys school. It was nowhere near as wellrounded and diverse as it is now, but I felt very much at home here and had nothing but positive experiences both academically and socially. I wasn’t a typical Highgate boy as I was very much influenced by the music I was listening to so, at times, my appearance was challenging but that’s something that inevitably comes with the punk rock territory! Drainpipe trousers, spiked or messy hair, steel-toed boots…I just about teetered on the boundary of acceptability!

I am still very good friends with many people I met in my very first year at Highgate which I think is a great testament to my experience here.

What A levels did you study and where did you go to uni?

I took Art, French and Economics and I also took Italian out of school, but I actually sat the final Italian exam at Highgate. I studied Architecture at UCL (The Bartlett School of Architecture). I knew I wanted to study Architecture since I was around 10 years old but I never wanted to be an Architect. I have always been a good artist but there was something about the architectural approach to art that made a permanent impression on me at a young age. A very close family friend was an

Marco performing live.

architect and his style of drawing and sketching was unlike anything I had seen before. He was able to make ideas come to life in front of you. With a few lines on the page he could create endless potential, there was a pronounced freedom to this that presented itself to me and has never left. I was adamant that I wanted to study at The Bartlett as their progressive and visionary approach resonated with me and I still refer to what I learned there on a daily basis, and not only in the education milieu but on an entire life perspective. I studied Sound Engineering at IMW after completing my degree.

Twenty four years later, how has the school culture changed, and how do you view it ‘from the other side’ as a member of staff?

I started working at Highgate in 2003 which was the final year of it being an all-boys school. I loved every second of my time spent in the Art department as a pupil so it was delightful to be back there! By that point, the school culture hadn’t changed all that much and I had only been away for seven years so it felt very familiar and comfortable. It was a little weird at first going to the Common Room as most of my teachers were still working here at that point!

When Highgate became co-ed, which started with the Sixth Form in 2004, there was a perceivable change and the school felt re-energized. From that point on, Highgate has continued to evolve and improve environmentally, architecturally, socially and academically to be the forward-thinking school it is today.

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What advice would you give to your sixteen year old self?

What tips do you have for creative pupils who want to pursue art as a profession?

It’s the advice that I have always lived by: always make time for the things you love and that make you happy and don’t worry at all what others think. Do not allow peer pressure to steal something away that means a great deal to you. I spent most of my teenage years being misunderstood and, on several occasions, derided for my appearance but I stuck to my beliefs and didn’t allow any of that to change me.

I think it’s very important that they don’t get too fixated on one aspect of their creativity or on a particular discipline. I was an oil painter at school who went into Architecture and became a professional Graphic Designer by total chance through a music route. I was educated in a time before computers so I would have laughed at anyone who suggested that Graphics would be the path I would end up taking professionally. In the creative world it is extremely hard to predict what route or routes you will end up taking unless you are 100% set on a particular vocation.

Tell us a little bit about your love of music Music has always been a prominent influence in my life and since the age of around eight I was fully immersed.

I listen to music every single day and I make a point to play vinyl records every day. The excitement and elation I receive from music is as strong today as it ever was. This is a fire that will never go out for me.

Being involved in the production side, whether it be recording music, putting out records, designing artwork (displayed above) or making music videos just fuels that fire and I consider it a true blessing to be able to be involved on both sides as a consumer and a creator.

What fascinated you about tattoo art?

I got my first tattoo at age 19 and my pathway into it was purely musical. Coming from a rock/metal background initially and then into punk rock it was just part of that aesthetic. I knew from a very young age that I would get tattooed. I never thought that I would actually get into the practice of it – that happened completely organically.

As a technician, how do you find teaching pupils about subjects you actively work in?

Marco tattoos an original design.

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It is wonderful being able to teach pupils about subjects and practises I have an interest in. It’s an amazing and very rewarding experience to be able to ignite curiosity and appreciation in a pupil and to see how they absorb the influence and utilise it in their work. I find it immensely satisfying to see their landscape expand and their journeys progress.

Favourite place in the world and why?

New York City without a shadow of a doubt. Aside from Italy, where my family is from, it’s the place I have visited the most and I never grow tired of it. As soon as my feet touched the ground in New York the adoration was instant. It’s the only place I have been that I would happily move to, I love London so much but New York City, and especially the Lower East Side, could easily steal me away- fortunately, my whole family love New York! San Francisco would be a close second but New York has my heart. My wife and I honeymooned in NY (which was her first time there) so it’s got an even deeper meaning for us.

Favourite hobby and why?

Music would have to be my number one hobby. I have been in a band since I was 15. My first band was actually formed here at Highgate, we were a punk rock band that lasted for a couple of years. I currently sing and play guitar in a few bands some of which I perform live with and other which are exclusively recording projects.

I have a studio at home so recording music is very easy and I record with people from all over. I am currently working with people from Canada, Spain and Germany.

I have also run a vinyl record label for 20 years. While studying Sound Engineering, I started the label with a friend. We certainly didn’t think it would last two decades! It has become somewhat of a cult-label and it is a true labour of love. We put out around 20 releases every year.

I always make sure to find the time to make Art for pleasure. I do a lot of graphic design professionally for American companies (record labels, skateboard companies, clothing brands, toy manufacturers, publishers, film distributors etc) so I ensure that I draw and paint for myself too otherwise I lose the most important aspect of it for me. I have just finished a collection of 50 drawings that are being published next year in a book that is a collection of work by myself and my artist friend from Brooklyn. I also collaborate on large paintings with a good friend where we simultaneously work on the same painting and we have been doing this for a few years and it has worked extremely well. We have had four exhibitions so far.

Tattooing would, of course, be another hobby of mine but I often like to step back from that for a couple of months at a time as I find it the most draining and, in a way, monotonous of the things I do. I also love building skateboard ramps with my three sons.

Favourite personal quality in people?

Loyalty. Whether it be in the working or creative aspects of my life or the social facet, I regard loyalty as the principal characteristic. I believe things like trust, persistence and reliability come under the umbrella of loyalty.

Most disliked human trait?

I would have to say jealousy as not only is it allconsuming, it is a completely senseless endless circle.

The best thing about Highgate School?

The uniqueness of the school. I think it’s very rare to find a school that performs as well as Highgate does whilst having a truly open-minded philosophy. I have always thought that how an Art department is run in a school speaks volumes about the school as a whole.

Highgate has a truly progressive Art department where ideas are allowed to flourish and intensify which is a rare and precious thing. The pupils at Highgate have character, personality and charm while performing brilliantly academically and it’s that balance and freedom that make the school a happy and thriving place to not only be a pupil at, but also to work at. I think that, in that sense, Highgate is incomparable to other schools of its calibre.

A series of landscape paintings titled (top to bottom) We Are All That We Have, Burning In Water, Lurking The Loin.

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Magic!

45 Years of

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Dr Andrew Szydlo, Highgate’s adored and legendary Chemistry teacher, revered for sharing his passion for Science and engineering (amongst many other talents) to, literally, millions of children and adults alike across the globe, reflects on his career spanning 45 years at Highgate.

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ery few have been able to stir as much excitement as Andrew on our social media channels at Highgate. A single post sharing one of his magical Harry Potter-esque experiments with billowing smoke, bubbles and multi-coloured test tubes triggers an avalanche of delighted comments. Generations of pupils, OCs and parents pop up, recounting happy memories of lessons as far back at the ‘70s, and how he seeded their love of engineering/meteorology/ photography/biochemistry. We only have to look at Hugh Aldersey–Williams, OC and exceptional chemist, whom Andrew taught at Highgate in 1975 before he took up a scholarship at St John’s College, Cambridge.

25 years ago, Hugh published a book, The Most Beautiful Molecule, which he dedicated to Highgate’s Chemistry department and later published Periodic Tales, within which two pages are dedicated entirely to Dr Szydlo himself.

Be good to others, and try your best As I approached this interview on Skype, so we could unravel some highlights of a Highgate legend’s career at one of the UK’s top independent schools, I was a little nervous to meet a brilliant man who has taught everyone from pre-schoolers to Oxbridge scholars, lectured at the Cambridge University Chemistry Society and had over 15 million views on his videos featured on The Royal Institution YouTube channel. However, immediately exuding humility and a kind friendliness, Dr Szydlo puts me at ease and explains he has always stood by two sacrosanct yet simple laws: be good to others and try your best. But the way he presents science is full of awe and wonder, the extraordinary. He says “I am still always aware of how amazing this stuff is – children come away filled with this same wonder.

They are not learning dry facts.”

Our fascinating scientist has hosted 11 talks across London primary schools in the past 2 weeks alone, from Tottenham to Islington. At the age of 71 during the second peak of COVID, Dr Szydlo shrugs and says, “the alternative is to sit in front of the TV and smoke a cigar until I die, and that just isn’t my style!”

Dr Szydlo now teaches in a wide spectrum of schools, and his world-renowned show, ‘As if by magic’ which

features theatrical chemistry experiments that compel audiences from the age of 5 (perhaps younger!) upwards, has been performed over five hundred times at over one hundred venues to over 50,000 children in total during the past 20 years! Dr Szydlo is a key figure of Highgate’s award-winning programme of partnership teaching with state schools and LAC (Looked After Children in care) throughout London.

St Mark’s Primary School, where Dr Szydlo performed earlier this week, provided candid feedback from their Head about having to schedule extra sessions, “I can’t praise Dr Szydlo enough. The positive praise and complements for Dr Szydlo came thick and fast from teachers, support staff, pupils and parents. One parent stopped me on the gate the next morning to say that her son “hadn’t stopped talking about science since returning home from school” and “this was the most enthused I’ve ever seen him respond to a learning experience.”

Dr Szydlo with the Triumph Herald that the Auto Soc pupils work on, and rebuilt the engine in for his trip to Poland and back in 2011.

So, where did it all begin?

Dr Szydlo says he has been interested in science and nature since he was a child: “I grew up in the ‘50s when cars were only just starting to grow in prevalence, when we could carry fireworks in our pockets and when space travel was taking off. Everyone was still afraid of atom bombs.

I was living at a time when everyone was filled with awe and wonder at the possibility of science.”

“

I am still always aware of how amazing this stuff is children come away filled with this same wonder. They are not learning dry facts.

“I went to Laytmer Upper School. But I came from a poor background. I was a very happy child, and roamed the streets of Shepherd’s Bush, attending a state primary school, but due to the 11+ system, and my love of learning, I got into one of the top schools in the country, a direct grant grammar school.”

In typical self-effacing fashion, Dr Szydlo explains how he initially felt in awe of the intellect of his peers, and was shocked when he found himself set in the top tier, of an already highly academic school, for all subjects.

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As if by magic

“

After graduating with a degree in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College, Dr Szydlo was, by his own account, looking for a ‘fill-in’ role, and a friend suggested he should apply for a teaching job. There was, at that time (September 1972), a particularly great need for chemistry teachers and Cardinal Manning Secondary Modern School in North Kensington was urgently looking for a young graduate. After two highly successful years there, Szydlo became drawn to working in an independent school because of the well-known fact of longer Summer holidays!

Szydlo laughs as he recounts the rejections he received initially, and explains how he had discovered, after joining Highgate in 1975, the previous Head of Chemistry, who later became a very close friend, had confided he had been the only applicant, and that they had no choice but to hire him. 45 years later, Dr Szydlo has hosted TED talks that receive standing ovations from crowds 2,000-strong adults. It’s fair to say, he has more than proved his value! Dr Szydlo’s unique teaching ability came to light almost immediately once in the role in fact, and he rapidly became a pupil favourite. He fell in love with Highgate, and admits that he’d never visited it before working at the School, and was blown away by its position, nestled next to Hampstead Heath, overlooking the Village, with its lush greenery and expanse of playing fields.

It was always the greatest punishment for a pupil to be sent home early on a Friday because they would miss Chemistry Club.

It was also at Highgate that he met three of his closest friends, Mike Morelle (Head of Chemistry), Peter Knowles and Humphry Barnikel, and worked alongside them in a team every day for the next 21 years.

“We all had a passion for chemistry. On a Friday after school, we used to host a Chemistry Club for the pupils until 6pm which became a highlight of the week for many pupils, and for us! We passed on our great enthusiasm for experiments. It was always the greatest punishment for a pupil to be sent home early on a Friday because they would miss Chemistry Club.”

His theatrical chemistry experiments have delighted and compelled children for decades.

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Friendship propels the wind for academic and professional success Aside from huge academic and professional success, Dr Szydlo explains Highgate has provided him with the comforts and joy of several life-long friends.

“There were colleagues at Highgate who were instrumental: David Smith, a distinguished Head of Physics for 27 years at Highgate, and Humphry Barnikel, were my two front liners, thanks to whom I am largely who I am today. But my very best friend was the late Paul Aston, Head of DT for 10 years. He was the best friend I ever had.”

Dr Szydlo founded one of Highgate’s most popular clubs, Automobile Society, established in 1991. Their engine building skills were put to the test when they set themselves the challenge of driving from Highgate School to Zakopane in Southern Poland in a Triumph Herald, in July 2011. After a first failed attempt which resulted in them making it as far at Kent, before being towed back home for midnight, they set off again at 7pm the next day, after spending the entire day replacing the engine with one pupils from Auto Soc had rebuilt. They arrived in Poland 2 days later.

Half a century of history And how has Highgate changed over the past five decades both culturally and physically? Dr. Szydlo says: “We as humans, we haven’t changed for thousands of years – interested, playful and naughty. Deep down we are all the same, but what does change is the fabric and content of society. I interviewed Theodore Mallinson, who taught at Highgate from 1939 until 1972, and who used to come into School every day afterwards (he was in charge of Archives in his latter years) and only died in 2008 at the age of 99 years old. He told me that even in the 1930s, children were the same, but context was different, Highgate was a boys school, and when you have a boys only dynamic, it’s different to mixed. As a teacher you adapt to the different dynamics. It’s obvious boys are going to be better behaved when girls are around. Boys on their own can get rowdy.”

The structure of a school day at Highgate has also changed in the past 45 years. Dr Szydlo explains how 90% of his time was spent in school teaching, but today that is much lower, with many more meetings and ways of accountability, from checking the pupils’ progress through to observing teaching techniques. “I personally have found this tedious. The continuous accountability, having to sit in one another’s lessons and observe. We used to have one departmental meeting ever three years, and in that meeting, we would drink sherry.”

A never before seen photo from 1984 showing pupils from Dr Szydlo's class, with fume cupboards seen at the back.

The syllabus changes frequently he says, but Highgate has taken the pain away from the teachers’ load with by making these formalities relatively pleasant: “Highgate has created an atmosphere where teachers are happy by and large. The characters in the common room make you feel welcome. We didn’t have that 50 years ago. When I was a relatively young teacher, some had a stiff upper lip. Mr. Pettitt, has created a remarkable environment, where everyone feels they are part of successful team and that there is someone interested in them. There is a lot of sparkle, buzz, the atmosphere around the school is absolutely stunning.

Adam Pettitt is a genius, stands out among other heads and cannot be over stressed, his enthusiasm for sharing knowledge and for those less fortunate – stated by his whole philosophy.”

As one of the catalysts of change, moving from the schoolmasters of yesteryear who often intimidated their pupils, Dr Szydlo doesn’t just instil a fascination with chemistry in his tutees, he puts them at ease. They feel they can participate in class and join in discussions on the evolution of science. “I visit lots of schools, and children by virtue of who they are who create a wonderful atmosphere. I have been to schools where children have been oppressed by teachers – and they are controlled. That type of teacher is not at Highgate.”

“The people who most inspired my teaching were the great natural philosopher and educator Michael Faraday, who expressed amazement for the wonders of nature, and the supremely flamboyant Humphry Davy. Both were brilliant early lecturers at the Royal Institution of Great Britain. I would like to think my performance style is in between the two.”

Educating, entertaining and enlightening These are the three Es in the rule of teaching Andrew lives by. He says that enlightenment broadens the vision of education and that Highgate School is in a perfect position to provide pupils who could lead humanity peacefully.

“The pupils here come from a fantastic variety of backgrounds and Highgate is in London, the most wonderful city in terms of diversity of culture, people and activity, and they are on top of this town overlooking the city. It’s truly extraordinary what pupils here have gone onto. Exams results is not what education is all about; it’s the enlightened part, which is regrettably what no syllabus can offer.”

Bee keeping, piano and photography As infamous for his breadth of co-curricular clubs from Bee Keeping Society and Automobile Club to Photography Club - as his genius piano and violin playing (sometimes performed in tandem with teaching chemistry) it’s clear why Dr Szydlo is adored by generations of pupils, peers and staff alike. Dr Szydlo says: “I believe humans can do everything; I have universal abilities, therefore, I have continued to pursue that form of thinking.

In my Sixth Form, the scientist students were considered to be the bores, and those in theatre were vibrant and fun. But if you look at the history of science, all the most amazing scientists were real characters. That’s why I play the violin in class, so children can see scientists as creative. It’s breaking down the stereotype. Humans are very versatile, but our brain needs stimulation.

Scientists have to be creative in order to invent something, and go beyond the narrow path of what we see.”

“

The most amazing scientists were real characters. That's why I play the violin in class, so children can see scientists as creative.

Water which does not wet hands, and other great achievements Dr Szydlo says his greatest academic achievement is his book, Water Which Does Not Wet Hands (1994), with a foreword written by Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, George Porter. It was at the launch of his book at the Polish Embassy, that Dr Szydlo met the Director of Royal Institution, Professor Peter Day, who approached him afterwards to say he should be lecturing at the Royal Institution and led to him becoming a global figure in chemistry education.

He also wrote his UCL PhD thesis, finished in 1991, on the history and philosophy of science. “I wanted to air my view on chemistry education, the achievements of the great scientists, which we used to learn about at school were suddenly being removed. You can’t teach science without saying where it’s come from. I wrote my thesis in anger, I wanted to prove my point that to teach Science, children need to know about its history to fully understand it.”

Many strings to his bow!

Dr Szydlo plays the violin at one of his performances.

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Food for Thought Treasured and twinkly eyed long standing chef, Anne Markey, has just completed her fourth decade at Highgate. She talks us through the ways Highgate’s dining hall and its varied menu have changed over the years, and how she felt the School was like an extended family to her.

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nne started working at Highgate in her early twenties, after moving across from another college in London. She says “I was 25 when I came to Highgate, and it was different then, of course, because it was an all-boys boarding school, so I lived on site. Rather than just lunchtimes, I was on hand to help prepare and serve breakfast and supper too.

Our Head of Catering at the time was Mr Peter Holbrook, and I worked alongside him for many years. We were a tight team, and it has always felt like we were having fun as well as working hard.”

Today, during non-covid times, our catering team provide an extensive menu, boasting daily vegetarian, vegan and international dishes, as well as a salad bar stocked with a wide variety of pulses, legumes and fresh vegetables. Eating the rainbow and getting your five a day is never a challenge! Every week we have ‘Meat-free Monday,’ an initiative to cut down on our carbon footprint which was campaigned for by the pupil-led Environment Committee. There’s also a pudding station bursting with cakes, cookies, jellies, exotic fruits and even ice lollies in the Summer, as well as a double soup

of the day option. Children from yester year were still treated to home-made delicious hot food, with a vegetarian option always being provided but Anne explains how the breadth of variety has grown with people’s taste in food changing and international cuisine becoming standard fare on all menus.

If we look back as far as WW2, the school even had allotments.

This was because of rationing and part of ‘Digging for Victory.’ The boys managed the allotments themselves, with fruit and vegetables harvested for consumption. Today, much of this is bought in from local organic farms, but Anne reflects on the way ‘Fish and Chip Friday’ has always been a firm favourite – and the pudding that tops all others is home-made apple pie and custard!

Chef Claudette’s Jerk chicken always sees an excited queue of pupils (and staff!) lining up for a portion of her secret recipe.

She even has a special under the counter extra-hot version for those in the know who like especially spicy flavours.

Colin Henderson, Director of Pupil Volunteering and Community (previous Head of Sport and

Anne (third from right) among the catering team c.1990s.

Exercise), who has been at Highgate 15 years, said: “Anne is a legend - she was always around for the kids when we used to have sports fixtures, especially the last-minute requests when we’d forgotten to order enough teas, or phoning me late on Fridays or early on Saturdays to check whether the pitches were waterlogged! I’ll miss her dulcet Irish tones - reminds me of all my mates’ mums - and the wicked sense of humour too!”

The seating was much the same in rows of tables, and Anne says the din of pupils enjoying their break from studies to eat a hearty lunch was much the same as it is today, even though there were far fewer staff serving.

Anne says the main change is that the Pre-Prep pupils now dine separately in their pastel painted and modern hall (more detail on page 50), set apart from the older children, allowing them a little quiet time together.

Jamie Scott, Head of Catering at Highgate, says of Anne: “Having been at Highgate for 30 years, Anne is well loved by current pupils and alumni. I am sure lots of people have fond memories of her serving them lunch in the PrePrep dining hall or one of the many events at the school. Whenever I walk around the school site with Anne, it takes a long time to get anywhere, as she knows everybody to stop and talk to (including parents, staff and pupils).”

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The

Ace Clubs of

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Who can remember the close friends they made through shared interests and hobbies over the years – the joy of connecting with someone over a shared passion?

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t Highgate, we know that pupils are all different, much like adults, and being able to offer something exciting for every individual is our aim.

Time is set aside each week for every pupil to take part in at least one co-curricular venture; from fast-paced and competitive clubs such as squash and Fives, through to mellow and reflective pursuits such as mindfulness and meditation, crafts and creative writing, Pupils have over 150 clubs and societies to choose from, and they range from pupil-founded societies such as Random Acts of Kindness and the Environment Committee, through to specialist led and long standing groups such as Masaryk Society (politics and debating, founded over 100 years ago) hosted by English teacher Dr Reilly and Automobile Society (building cars!) led by scientist Dr Szydlo.

Assistant Principal, Co-Curricular, in the Junior School, Matt Anderson says, “We’re proud of the busy and vibrant co-curricular life the children immerse themselves in every day. The key aim of the co-curricular programme is to encourage the children to engage in their own personal development and develop cross-cohort relationships that gives a sense of community and belonging.”

profit business launched, branded and sold entirely by pupils with all proceeds going to Great Lakes High School in Uganda.

The Pre-Prep, Junior School and Senior School each hosted crafting workshops to make community cards with both hand-made artwork and individual messages, poetry and newsworthy letters for local residents at elderly care homes who are likely to isolated from relatives and friends over Christmas.

Community clubs during coronavirus

Green in Quarantine

Throughout Summer Term 2020, during coronavirus restrictions, we transferred clubs to virtual variants wherever possible, for example Random Acts of Kindness became Remote Acts of Kindness, with pupils writing letters and cards to staff coming into school helping provide support to keyworkers’ children.

Our Environment Committee came together to launch a series of Sustainability magazines during lockdown, with the latest edition focusing on having an eco-friendly Christmas season. Features included everything from reflective poetry, guides on upcycled gift crafts, vegan recipes and how to recycle your Christmas waste.

Our Safi Coffee Enterprise Society hosted a series of festive pop-up coffee shops and sold beautiful Christmas hampers to raise funds for Ugandan children to have access to better education. This society is a pupil led, non-

During the Michaelmas term 2020, the Senior School music pupils took part in several online workshops which we shared on our Contemporary Music Instagram Take Over, one of which was from musician Grace Savage

who visited the school to run an inspiring beatbox workshop with Breakin’ Convention.

Our feature gained thousands of views as both parents, pupils and staff enjoyed lockdown musical performances Christmas cheer Just before Christmas we launched Cocurricular days for Year 7 and 8 pupils to enable them to focus fully on enriching and uplifting festive activities. Head of CoCurricular and Pupil Engagement in the Lower School, Mr Jack Kenmir said: “At the end of a term like no other, it felt appropriate that the Lower School pupils should have a day when they participated in some fun cocurricular activities, and were transported away from the day to day worries of academic work and the pandemic. These enriching co-curricular events are designed to help make sure pupils still get to enjoy that sense of community and festive cheer, in a safe environment. Activities ranged from creating Christmas adverts, to inter-form netball and football matches, to singing carols around the bonfire with hot chocolate and mince pies!"

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Our new Swimming Pool opened in March 2020.

A Master Plan 2020 was an important year for the school in terms of our buildings, which is ironic as for some of the year we were unable to occupy them, save for a skeleton staff with our keyworker children.

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e completed the exciting new swimming pool project just before lockdown and for several months the pool tempted pupils who were stuck at home, exercising in their bedrooms with classmates via Zoom, unable to jump in and practise their front crawl.

We hope that the 25m long new pool, new changing rooms, showers and viewing balconies will be in full swing shortly; book your pool parties now!

Over the Summer, we completed work on the new Pre-Prep Dining Hall; it’s a charming, light-filled space which feels like being on a ship, albeit a very scandi one.

The walls are decorated with giant lettering naming the Pre-Prep Houses and the space is furnished with tiny chairs and tables which make any adult sitting on them feel like a giant in a fairy tale. It’s a brilliant facility to add to our already over-subscribed Pre-Prep, giving them another large space for assemblies as well as for drama and musical performances. The garden areas outside have been re-landscaped too, we are excited to see how these areas will burst into colour in the spring.

Lucky children!

We submitted our building masterplan to Haringey Council in October and have been engaging with the council and our local community regarding our building plans for the next decade. Parents received a booklet outlining the new projects which include refurbishment of the Science block, the redevelopment of the Dyne House site and development of the Mallinson Sports Centre. It’s an ambitious programme of work, costing £145 million over the next 15 years, which will ensure our children continue to learn in modern educational environments befitting our academic priorities.

Another building project which is currently underway is our electrical substation. At present this is a giant hole next to the Mills Centre and Pre-Prep, but my colleagues from the Estates Team assure me that they are building an underground structure which will house infrastructure vital to keeping our iPads charged and 3D printers printing. Not the sexiest project, we admit, but it will ensure we have enough power for all our planned projects in coming years and will help us move away from reliance on fossil fuel energy. A small project which packs a big punch!

Our new Pre-Prep Dining Hall opened in September 2020.

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Senior School Highlights Home delivery hoodies and other simple pleasures!

At the end of Year 13, in nonCOVID times, the pupils mark their final term at Highgate with a series of much anticipated traditions, not least the leavers’ ball, award ceremony and of course, being gifted with a treasurable Year Book and personally named Highgate Hoody!

In the thick of lockdown, postexam results fiasco and uncertain Autumn plans, pupils took joy in some of the personal touches and acts of kindness that staff, many of whom had taught them, or even their older siblings, from the age of 11, had devised to put a little bit of cheer into an unprecedented year.

A notable example is Mr Brunskill’s decision to make sure each and every one of our Year 13 leavers received a named hoody, 2020 Year Book and personal farewell from one of their teachers. He rallied round a team of staff, who each loaded up a backpack, and then cycled to every pupil abode across London to hand deliver the highly coveted year book and sweatshirt! The team bid many a poignant au revoir to families and tutees ahead of post Highgate adventures.

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Exam results rollercoaster It’s been unsettling for all age groups across the School, but perhaps for those in exam years, it’s been the most uncertain, due to the changes in guidance and how results would be distributed.

Nonetheless, when final results were calculated, based on teacher predictions, pupils excelled, with the vast majority going onto their first choice of university and A level course.

Highgate School Head Mr Pettitt, commented: “Even though the news of the Government’s U-turn only took five days to come, it was an incredibly difficult period for these young people. You have to remember that they have been in limbo since April when their exams were cancelled: news of how grades would be awarded took time to come through, and then there was the traditional long wait amidst uncertainty about what would happen, and then this five-day fiasco. I’m hugely relieved that the algorithm-based results were withdrawn as that means that the worst injustices have been corrected. It was staggering bureaucratic insensitivity to visit these unexpected and unwarranted grades on anyone, especially the least advantaged young people in the nation’s

schools. It could have turned the clock back on social mobility for a generation.”

School in September, both online and in class if needed, due to isolating bubbles!

Neighbourly nurture

Pupils delivered the fruits of their labour in a host of compelling online shows and social media revelations. The Drama departments’ 'The Show Must Go Online' Instagram take over featured Year 7 set designs and monologues taking the form of witches’ spells and depictions of Shakespearean sonnets.

Head of Middle School (Year 9 - Year 11) Rebecca Baxter says the pupils’ resilience has been commendable, and that although ‘normal’ in person schooling hasn’t been possible, pupils have given back to the local community, and helped wherever possible to alleviate any sense of loneliness their peers or neighbours might be feeling: “I have been amazed by the wonderful support the Year 11s have shown to each other and the ways in which many of them have continued to support their local community through charitable work during this time; they have proven themselves a talented, hard-working, creative, and kind year group.”

Year 11s performed a series of lockdown monologues, drawing comparisons with WW2 child evacuees and the same sense of separation felt during COVID.

The show must go online Highgate@Home and our online learning platform HERO became the new normal from March 2020 in the Senior School, with lessons hosted on Teams and Zoom, and then when pupils returned to

Our musicians may not have been able to meet in person to sing in their ensembles, but thanks to technology, they were able to blend some remarkable lockdown renditions, such as Chorale’s blending of pupils singing The beautiful Ave Verum Corpus by William Byrd and a solo piece

by Aris (now Y13) performing an extract from the first movement of Boccherini’s Sonata in A Major.

Junior School Highlights The importance of creativity in childhood The Junior School staff team choose a termly value to inspire the children to learn in a way that is motivating and stimulates curiosity. Much like the theme of this issue of the Highgate Journal, ‘Creativity’ has been the value throughout Michaelmas 2020.

complex problems. We encourage innovation and reflection to advance their learning.

Pupils are encouraged to be creative with their choice of method, reasoning and recording too. Essentially, we like pupils to learn and acknowledge that alongside ‘playing and exploring’ and ‘active learning’, the third characteristic of effective learning is ‘creating and thinking critically.’

Creativity across the Curriculum Assistant Principal, Victoria Nemeth says, “We aim to ensure that creativity is evident in all aspects of the Junior School curriculum, from expanding on practical ideas in subjects referred to as ‘creative subjects’ – Art, DTE, Drama and Music, through to embedding of creativity as an ‘approach’ to teaching and learning.”

Through the use of Creativity as an ‘approach’ to teaching and learning, we incorporate the amalgamation of ‘knowledge, understanding and skills’ so that pupils are given an extensive platform to solve basic as well as

There is plenty of evidence of pupils’ creative work across all subjects and activities in the Junior School. From class-and wholeschool displays, exercise books and homework assignments to projects such as pupils making bird houses and then crosscurricular pop-up cards in DTE, decorating these in Art lessons and using them in gardening and science club to support pupils’ understanding of biodiversity.

In Gardening Club, core Curriculum subjects are underpinned via teaching the value of the elements, the soil, flora and fauna, and where our food stuffs come from which

of course are the fundamentals of Science, sustainability and Geography.

Pupils are making cross-curricular links weaving creativity into Science and Maths too. In Michaelmas Term, pupils made puzzles for Anti-Bullying Week, with each piece representing a personal reflection of how they contribute to kindness and how they in turn fit into the pattern of friendship.

Dream desert islands As part of Art and Geography, the children linked scale and proportion to create their own ‘desert island’, making it unique with character traits, hobbies and personal preferences, depicting pupils’ understanding of their own personal development.

Individual artistic creativity is at the forefront when we plan lessons and extra-curricular activities with values and skills such as empathy, respect, collaboration and reflectiveness also being heavily supported.

year although we couldn’t invite writers into school, we have hosted fascinating creative writing workshops for the pupils via Zoom. Recent examples include science fiction writer Christopher Edge and mystery writer, who focuses on diversity, Sharna Jackson.

Creativity is referenced in our academic direction motto: Progression, Enrichment, Creativity and Challenge or PECC. The pupils are therefore provided with a bespoke curriculum that captures their imaginations and stimulates their desire to learn. Importantly, we want it to be thoroughly enjoyed too!

In summary, creativity is not introduced or covered in isolation or only in certain subject areas.

Nurturing independent creativity remains a key objective in Junior School curriculum development.

Zooming Visits COVID hasn’t stopped us being creative. We host a busy visiting author programme, and this

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Pre-Prep Highlights Little people, big resilience 2020 was a very strange year for everyone, let alone our tiniest pupils who are still making sense of the world and life’s daily routines. But, the resilience of the Pre-Prep children, their ability to adapt to new situations with ease, and the creative way our team of nursery teachers have presented joyful learning experiences has been awe inspiring.

Heartfelt messages of hope and happiness emerged from their contribution to our ‘Lockdown’ blogs written last spring, and we see their untainted joy in participating in the co-curricular clubs our dedicated staff are still able to run, right through to the Christmas Nativity performances practised with delight ready to share with their virtual audience of proud parents.

Lockdown blogs, happy poems and worry box letters The cathartic benefits of creative writing can be taught and enjoyed

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from an early age! Our youngest members of the School took part in our Lockdown Blog series, with Nina from Rabbit class explaining how being home schooled was different, how she embraced change, and that she still felt her imagination was being stretched in terms of learning!

“Learning at home is nice as well.

It’s very exciting when things change and new things happen.

Literacy is my favourite thing on Pluto (pupils’ online learning platform) because it uses my imagination a lot to do things like designing new animals.”

Children were taught how to write and post letters, and for one therapeutic project, sharing worries and posting them in the 'worry box' to help release any sense of anxiety.

The Happy Pens visited the Pre-Prep, where children were encouraged to write messages of kindness and optimism on notelets to decorate the classroom.

Harmony, Inclusivity and Individuality

Virtual nativity, Hannukah and ensemble performances Growing in confidence, independence and understanding the pleasant reciprocations of team performance have not been missed despite COVID. During Michaelmas Term 2020, the Pre-Prep performed a beautifully choreographed musical show, with some pupils feeling brave enough to take centre stage as soloists!

Parents didn’t miss these precious moments, with live streams taking place to ensure family and friends could witness traditional festivities!

Accepting each other’s individuality and imparting an understanding to the little children that we celebrate our differences is a moving and continuous project in the PrePrep. As we know, the younger we are, the more adaptable and able to unquestioningly embrace diversity we are.

Projects have included learning about the world and the number of countries and types of people who share our planet, and an art project to draw their favourite different places and how they imagine them.

For Harmony Week, a feature integrated into the curriculum, pupils learned about the importance of mutual kindness, friendship and respect. They enjoyed a twist of relatable fun with this theme, as each child was asked to wear a pair of odd socks to represent self-expression, connection and inclusivity.

Our Music, Art and Drama departments have responded to the pandemic with their normal enthusiasm and tenacity. Having lost their audiences due to there being no concerts, plays or exhibitions, they decided to bring their creative work to the audience digitally. And so Arts Reimagined was born; a space where pupils can show their creative work to our parent body. Pupils have also run take-overs of our Instagram channel, posting their artwork and drama and musical performances.

View our virtual galleries and online performances on the Parent Portal.

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