SBS News
Winter Term 2022
Inside this issue... Headteacher's Welcome / Achievement Assembly / National Poetry Day / Enhanced Learning Day / NCL Day / BBC Young Reporter / Black History Event / Science Fun Club / Plus Much More
Headteacher's Welcome Welcome to another interesting edition of Sarah Bonnell News. I hope you enjoy reading about the different opportunities students have had in the Autumn Term and are inspired by the achievements of our brilliant students. On 2 and 3 November 2022 we were visited by a team of Inspectors from Ofsted and I am now able to share their findings. Ofsted has judged the overall effectiveness of the school as Good. The report describes the many things Ofsted Inspectors judged as Good and Outstanding in our school and identifies two things we can do to improve. The report highlights: The hard work and achievement of students That leaders are ambitious for all students including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities The engaging lessons delivered by teachers with very strong subject knowledge The high expectations leaders have of behaviour The positive attitudes students have to their learning and their exemplary, respectful behaviour The pride the school community shows to its diversity The very positive relationships between students and staff The ambitious curriculum for all students, including those with SEND, that is carefully sequenced and expertly taught The pride staff have in working in the school The knowledgeable governing body The effective arrangements for safeguarding, securing appropriate support to meet the needs of the most vulnerable students The report identifies the following two areas for improvement: Year 9 curriculum offer for the creative subjects Attendance of students educated off-site at Alternative Provision settings You can read the final report in full as this was sent home to all parents on Tuesday 6 December 2022. The report is also on the school website.
Achievement Assembly
In the second week of September we came together as a whole school community to celebrate sisterhood and recognise the many individual achievements of our students in 2021-22. Ms Potter, Headteacher, welcomed everyone to the assembly and talked about global sisterhood and the partnerships our school has with Girls’ Schools across the world and Aasiyah Hussain, Head Girl, gave an inspirational speech about celebrating sisterhood. The senior prefect team presented the prizes with the help of Ms Potter, Ms Bibi, Assistant Headteacher, Mr Slater , Assistant Headteacher and Anthony Wilson, CEO of the trust our school belongs to, Newham Community Learning. We were entertained too. First by our string group playing selections from West Side Story, then a powerful poem by our poet laureate Usra Rahman, and finally a fantastic musical performance by Amera Calandra-Achode, Alex Kuran, Michelle Adjei and Gracie Mbatha. Of course the real focus of the event was our prize winners, students who embody the Sarah Bonnell Way day in day out, and have shown in all sorts of ways what it means to Be Proud, Aim High, Work Hard, Be Kind and have No Excuses. Over 100 awards were given out this year to students who have performed well in particular areas of the curriculum, been excellent examples of our values or shown real grit and resilience throughout the year. It was a pleasure to read through all of the wonderful nominations and citations from staff throughout the school and great to see our whole school community celebrating with our prizewinners.
Last term the Year 10 debate team and Year 11 debate team went head to head in a battle to be crowned the SB debating champions of 22. It was a fantastic evening with an amazing list of VIP Judges who all commented on the amazing debating skills of both teams. Judges were: Joe Seddon: governor at Lister, Janete Ballard: Governor NCL, Zaynah Ali: Biomedical Sciences, King's College, Lyn Brown MP, Konstantina Hara: Debate mentor, Queen Mary University. The evening was kindly hosted by Azaan Akbar, Educational consultant and debate coach who has also worked with the students in the past year at Debate Mate during some of the competitions. The year 11 team benefited from some bespoke and invaluable feedback from Azaan and they showcased their progress to him on the night. Thank you Azaan for hosting. Can’t wait to work with you again next year! Motions debated were: This house believes that globalisation has divided the human race This House would allow young people to stand for elections It was so close but there could only be one winner! The year 10 team won in style, structure, rebuttals, points of information and content. The awards ceremony was presented by MP Lyn Brown. She commended both year groups on their debating skills and how they could be an asset if they were to speak in parliament. Year 10 Team: Ahmira Calandra Luka Narbutyte Marianne Rhodes Maleeha Iram Sabrine Zamit Salma Alam
Year 11 Team: Humyra Tanko Layla Abed Mariam Sheikh Meerub Anjum Rahima Ibrahim Shaima Razali
Jack Petchy Award The Jack Petchey awards are given out to students who have shown outstanding levels of resilience, hard work and kindness. Nominated by their year teams and fellow students, our winners each receive an award certificate and £300 to spend on an area of the school that they are particularly passionate about. This year our winners chose to invest in LGBTQ+ graphic novels, ukuleles, outdoor games and EAL software. Our winners also attended this year’s Newham Jack Petchey Awards held at Kingsford Community School in September 2022 where they were able to celebrate with family and friends. Our wonderful winners this year were Hania Huttack, Rayhana Abubakar, India Tripp Rule, Zafreen Chowdhury, Shamriya Samsudeen and Aayrin Vankawala. A huge congratulations to these students! On top of this our very own Ms Sahebdin, Scholarship Coordinator, was nominated for the Jack Petchey leadership award for her fantastic work across the school with our scholarship students and the debate mate programme. An inspiration to us all!
Trip to Kew Gardens
On October 17th, our Y7s had the opportunity to visit Kew Gardens to celebrate the popular Mexican festival "El Día de Los Muertos". Our students enjoyed a day walking through nature, discovering Mexican culture and visiting a colourful exhibition that our girls (and the adults) loved very much. Visiting the greenhouse, they were very curious about the indigenous plants of Mexico and the sounds of the Mexican jungle that Kew Gardens had prepared for this special occasion. In addition, many students decided to join the beautiful Mexican tradition and write the name of a deceased loved one on a note to hang next to the flower altars to pay homage. Our students behaved in an unbeatable way, and we are looking forward to doing a new cultural excursion very soon!
YEAR 7 CELEBRATION OF ACHIEVEMENT Our new Year 7 cohort has made a fantastic start to life at Sarah Bonnell School and we were thrilled to welcome parents and carers in for our Celebration of Learning event to meet with some Year 7 teachers and see some of the great work that Year 7 have been completing across the curriculum in the Exploration Projects. One highlight of the event was seeing students perform the inspiring monologues of Visionary Women that they had been working on across English and Drama. Well done to those individuals!
We were delighted to hear so many positive comments and feedback from parents whose daughters have settled into secondary school: “My daughter is so proud to be a student here.” “She has settled in so well - staff here are brilliant.” “I am so glad I chose this school.” Well done Year 7 on an incredible first term we’re so excited to see what successes and achievement next term brings, keep it up!
Greenhouse Sports Tennis
Since September, we have now added 30 Year 7’s to the programme. These students are participating in P.E. once a week, club once a week or both P.E. and club. The standard of the older team players has improved a huge amount, and we look forward to our fixtures this Winter. We have three breakfast clubs and four after school clubs with high attendance. The students will participate in the cold, wind and heavier rain which is an absolute testament to their dedication and resilience. Students have developed strong friendships across different age groups, and the peer support both on and off the court is to be admired. The increased confidence and social skills all these SB participants have acquired will serve them so well in their school years but also beyond.
It shouldn’t be underestimated how difficult it is to start and learn tennis from 11+. All of them in the programme work so hard to achieve their respective goals, and the school should be so proud of them. It also shouldn’t be underestimated that a number of them are attending an outdoor sport club at 7.30am in Winter.
Parent Online Safety Drop On Monday 21st November we held our first Parent online safety training session. This allowed parents to come in and meet the online safety lead and Digital Leaders. Parents completed a training course online and received certificates! Great to see parental engagement and support in ensuring our children are kept safe online. Thank you to all parents that attended and supported our Online Safety Strategy.
National Poetry Day In October, we celebrated National Poetry Day with this year’s very significant theme of ‘The Environment.’ During this day, students spent form time exploring, writing and performing poetry linked to the theme. At lunch time, Ms Bibi, Mr Rothkell and Ms Gray along with Year 9 students led on the annual Poet-Tree, where students wrote mini poems on leaves and added it to the Poet-Tree display. In the Learning Hub, Ms Kaur led a brilliant workshop on Twitter Poetry challenging students to write poems under 140 characters which students thoroughly enjoyed! We also launched the annual National Poet Laureate Competition where students were asked to contribute poems as part of the competition! We had a huge number of excellent entries and congratulations to our Poet Laureate 2022, Sanjeeha Sajjad in Year 9.
Queen’s College Our partnership with Queen’s College, a private Independent Girls’ Day School in Harley Street, goes from strength to strength. Each year Queen’s College provides three Sarah Bonnell students a full bursary to attend the college for their A Level studies. The Principal of Queen’s , Richard Tillet, is also a governor on our Local Governing Board and this year we are planning even more opportunities for collaboration including in Geography, Languages and Science.
Future First Filming at SB On the 8th November we had neck of the woods film crew on site. They were filming a mini film for Future First. Our Year 11 students were part of this and were amazing actors! Film to be shared shortly, watch this space. “ I wanted to say again how great the students were / are. They’re a real credit to the school and I think any school would be proud to call them students. They’re smart, funny, conscientious and took to filming better than most adults.” Neckofthewoods Film Crew
Headteachers Conference Every Friday the Headteacher, Ms Potter, invites 12 students who have been nominated by their teachers for special recognition to attend a conference with her to celebrate their many achievements and talk about their experience of school. Here is a summary of some of the feedback Year 10 students gave on Friday 1 December 2022 about what they enjoy about school and their learning.
STEM in Aviation Year 10 Computer Science students had the opportunity to compete at the STEM in Aviation Competition on the 4th November at the London Excel Centre. Students were introduced to the Aviation Industry and shown how STEM and Aviation work alongside each other. Our students were then tasked to design a solution to one of the issues presented on the day. Sarah Bonnell Girls came 3rd! We are very proud of them. The judges were very impressed with their confidence in their presentation skills and how well they worked as a team. Well done Year 10.
"So rise up Tell your tale to those that try To steal your spotlight" - Ameenah, Year 11 On Thursday 13 October, we held our first Enhanced Learning Day with a focus on a Black History Month theme. Our Black History Month planning group created the goals for the day, which were: To enhance understanding of the experience of British diversity and racism and empower students to promote social justice. To celebrate our diverse community and shine a spotlight on African and Caribbean students and staff. Our Year 7 students visited the Greenwich Maritime Museum where they explored some of the history of the transatlantic slave trade and Stratford Picturehouse where they watched ‘Hidden Figures’, the story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program. Our Year 8 students explored the Barber Shop Chronicles by Inua Ellams, working with professional actors and creating their own mini scenes to present as a year group. The performances were hilarious and gripped audiences from start to finish! Our Year 9 students attended workshops by Rap Therapy. Exploring sound, rhythm and expression, students looked at how their voices and experiences can inspire change and action. Year 9 students also attended an exciting workshop, focusing on either African and Caribbean Art, Architecture, Food, Textiles or Photography. Year 10 students took part in interactive drama workshops with the company ‘Chain Reaction’. They considered how they can use their voice in a powerful way to make positive change. They also heard from Mackayla Forde (also known as ‘The Red Medusa’). Red is an academic, poet and health professional. Mackayla has been writing poetry since the age of 9 - her poems capture the sentiments of the ‘MeToo’ and Black Lives Matter movements. Her work has featured in Vogue, Forbes and Grazia magazine. Ms Oloyede also delivered engaging workshops on the History and Science of Afro hair and unique in the way it grows as well as the social and historical implications of afro hair. Our Year 11 students took part in poetry based activities, inspired by academic, poet and health professional Mackayla Forde (also known as ‘The Red Medusa’). Mackayla has been writing poetry since the age of 9 - her poems capture the sentiments of the ‘MeToo’ and Black Lives Matter movements. Her work has featured in Vogue, Forbes and Grazia magazine. Students will consider how they can use their voices for change. Ms Oloyede also delivered engaging workshops on the History and Science of Afro hair and unique in the way it grows as well as the social and historical implications of afro hair.
Science Fun Club has kickstarted with a bang! It is the most popular club in the whole school with the highest and most consistent attendance led by myself - Ms Ashraf and Mr Odudimu! Our budding scientists have ranged from KS3 and KS4, who have enjoyed meeting new people and making new friends. This term we have made slime, bath bombs, perfume, crystals and created and erupted volcanoes. Our keen and enthusiastic scientists have utilised their critical thinking and analytical skills to evaluate their models and apply their findings onto their next exciting projects. Students have commented on the club stating 'how it’s not all about making it right but having fun' and 'I learnt that when I fail I should just try again.' More feedback included the club being 'fun and therapeutic'. And how ‘it feels like a time for myself'. Well done to all those who are involved! More exciting and explosive experiments yet to come, so stay tuned! Special shout out to two of our Y10 scientists Alayna Ahmed 10B and Marisa Roy 10A who have led many of the sessions assisting and inspiring our younger scientists and have stated ‘the club has boosted my confidence and communication skills’ and ‘helped develop myself as a leader by showcasing how significant yet fun science is to younger students’. Well done to all those who are involved! More exciting and explosive experiments yet to come, so stay tuned!
On the 28th and 29th September we were very pleased to welcome representatives from Ada College. They ran engaging workshops on Careers in Computing/STEM to our KS4 students. Students were able to ask important career questions and collaborate with the speaker. We hope to continue with our positive partnership with Ada College.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH AN EVENT TO REMEMBER!
We began with meetings, talking and listening to students and teachers about our main plans for the month. I initially thought I wanted an entire month, but more specifically the big event to be one to remember for a long time. We had to consider what would make Black History Month memorable, ecstatic and linked to our theme ‘Actions not Words’.
Very soon my plans on paper became a reality with the help of teachers and students, who volunteered to be a part of the plans for the month. As a group, we discussed Afro/Caribbean cultural foods for the canteen, Our indoor piazza decorations and the main event. Hosted by myself (Mauricette) and the current Head Girl of Sarah Bonnell, Aasiyah. I am proud to say all of our plans for the month came to pass. One example being Jollof rice and plantain being served in the canteen. The night of the event was an utter success. It began with students welcoming parents, teachers and other people into the assembly hall, with programmes for each person who arrived. We had fantastic decorations and refreshments at hand - with Black History Month Themed colours of course . Moving on to the actual event, there were multiple poems given by students of Sarah Bonnell - about celebrating black achievements. As well as, a keynote speech from our own assistant headteacher Ms Oloyede. She spoke about navigating blackness in the workplace and much more. Moving on to my speech, I spoke about the success of black people who have paved the way in British society today and their impact in creating change. Finally, the event ended with our very own incredible band of students, which was an engaging and beautifully crafted music performance. -Mauricette, YR11 Student
To celebrate the release of The Railway Children Return this summer, we held an exciting creative competition, challenging pupils to put themselves in the shoes of a child in the 1940s, leaving the noise and sights of the city to visit Oakworth village in Yorkshire. Taking inspiration from the film's trailer, as well as vintage posters and postcards, entrants were encouraged to imagine they were living in the 1940s and write to someone back in the city, sharing their thoughts and feelings about visiting the countryside for the first time. We had a quite few SB entries for this nationwide competition. RIMZIM FROM 9L WON THE COMPETITION! She will receive an exciting Adventure Prize Bundle, with contents including an INSTAX Mini-Instant Camera and a limited-edition Hornby model of the locomotive that features in the film. Her class will also be gifted 30 film merchandise goody bags, each containing the HarperCollins Children's book film tie-in, The Railway Children Return: The Story of the Movie.
Sarah Bonnell went head to head with Norlington Boys in the finals for the Pinsent Mason cup. They debated the motion “Social Media Influencers should be held accountable if what they promote is found to be faulty or fraudulent” The year 10’s blew them away with their points of information and amazing delivery and rebuttals. The feedback from the judges were very positive and encouraging. “If you can twist a motion in your favour like that, You will make amazing lawyers” A huge congratulations to the team. They have come so far and another win for SB!! We have the cup for the year and £1000 for our debate programme.
BBC Young Reporter: 'I want my story to shine a light on afro-textured hair' Keziah from Year 8 entered the BBC young reporter competition and was successful in getting her story published. She says she "felt isolated" when she was growing up and wishes she could have learnt to appreciate her afro hair earlier. Now she wants to help spread awareness of afro-textured hair to help other people understand and celebrate it. Well done Keziah, we are so proud of you. Hello, I am Keziah-Nissi Acheampong and I had the honour of going to the next round of BBC’s Young reporter challenge. It was a challenge to talk about a pressing issue. I chose to report about Afro-Textured hair and how it is displayed in society and how we can educate others on how it works and how to handle it ultimately. I found this competition from our ‘Scholarship/Apprenticeship Programme’ and when I saw it I was extremely excited to share my story and perspectives. Down below you can see an extract of the story I submitted! ’Afro-Textured hair is an important part of a young black person's identity. So why isn't it widely talked about at a young age? Afro-Textured hair is the hair type that comes with people with strong African and/or Caribbean descent. It can be something that separates us from the crowd as it takes the form of thick, coarse curly hair differing from the ‘norm’ of straight, glossy hair. As a person who has noticed this in my local East London community I think we should spread awareness and educate everyone (young and old) about ‘black’ hair, what it is and why it is. Why should it be more discussed? As a child, being a first generation British citizen (my mother having emigrated here at age 15) it became apparent to me that there was next to no one else who had the same hair as me. Other girls would have played ‘Salon’ braiding their hair to all sorts while I was left to stand surveying with my uncontrollable afro or the occasional short twists that barely grazed my shoulders. It wasn’t their fault for leaving me out, it was games they couldn’t really bend and though the game eventually died down, in truth, the feeling never went away. A feeling that could have easily gone away if I was taught the wonders of my hair earlier and one that can still be in the hearts of the Black-British youth. Meaning that if this is a problem there can easily be a solution, one that will in fact empower and uplift the generations to succeed ours into owning their afro, cornrows, twists and much more…’’ To read more of the story go to the site: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/62393556
Harry Potter Potter Competition Competition Harry To celebrate the opening of Professor Sprout’s greenhouse. Students were challenged to get creative and imagine their own magical plant creation, using Professor Sprout’s greenhouse as inspiration. This is where Harry first discovered Greenhouse Three and the magical plants that live inside. Using the descriptions in the book and the scene from the film as inspiration, students were challenged to think about what their own magical plant would look like. Submissions could be in any format and we received so many entries. See images below of the creativity our students have. I am sure it will be a very difficult decision for the creative art director to select a winner. A random selection will be presented to Harry Potter Art Director Gary Tomkins who will choose the winner nationwide! As we had so many entries we will also be selecting our SB winner this term.
Newham Community Community Newham Learning Day Day Learning
In November all six schools across the NCL trust came together at three sites to collaborate and share best practice on 'Literacy and Numeracy in action' and 'Purpose''. Sarah Bonnell, Eastlea and Portway were the host schools for over 500 staff. Sarah Bonnell hosted 250 people on the day, and it was great to be able to welcome colleagues from Portway and Selwyn for the first time .People were given the opportunity to attend a range of workshops, many of which were led by Sarah Bonnell staff with expertise to share.. The keynote speakers, Kathy Roe and Craig Barton both gave informative and enlightening presentations on Literacy and Numeracy. This provided the foundation for the rest of the day where staff were given the opportunity to think deeply and have dedicated time to reflect on their practice with colleagues from across the trust. Thank you to everyone who was involved in the planning and delivery on the day. Overall, a great success. #BeProud
O’Brien Scholarship The O’Brien Family Scholarship is awarded to one Sarah Bonnell student each year to ensure they experience no financial barriers to learning at Sixth Form and University. This year the scholarship has been awarded to Shona Shane who impressed the panel with her ambition to be a forensic scientist. In Year 1 of the award Shona received £1500 which she intends to spend on a laptop and one day workshops on science. The picture here shows Binta Bah - the 2018 Award Winner with Ms Potter, Headteacher and Mrs O’Brien. Binta was the first ever student to receive the O’Brien Family Scholarship and came to her review meeting proud to share the news that she has graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in Nursing from King’s College London and is now successfully working at St Thomas’s hospital as a Critical Care Nurse. Binta expressed her thanks to the O’Brien Family explaining how the £24 000 has benefited her in so many ways. ‘The O'Brien scholarship award will always be something I will remember, for the countless doors and opportunities it has provided since I was 17 years old. It has allowed me to fearlessly navigate my way through further and higher education, taking advantage of courses and materials that inevitably have led to where I am today. I have started my career in Emergency Medicine and along the way have had the privilege to immerse myself in opportunities that have furthered my learning and allowed me to experience things that otherwise I wouldn't have. The O'Brien family have inspired me by their generosity and care. I would like to one day give back in my own way through nursing in other parts of the world!'
Year 7 Drum Works Taster Sessions One of our fantastic enrichment programmes in Music is the brilliant Drum Works club, which provides students an opportunity to work with professional musicians developing ensemble drumming compositions and performances. This term the whole of Year 7 were able to take part in Drum Works sessions, giving them a taste of this exciting opportunity. Every form group got to experience using the Samba drums, creating a performing a range of rhythms as an ensemble. All Year 7s are invited to come and join the Drum Works enrichment club every Friday, with plenty of opportunities to take part in concerts and events throughout the year!
This has been an exciting term in Music at SB, with lots of students taking up or continuing with instrumental lessons, brilliant work going on in our enrichment clubs, and some fantastic performances at key events such as the Achievement Assemblies and Black History Month evening event. To celebrate all the hard work our students and instrumental teaching team have put in this term we will be showcasing their work at this year’s Winter Warmer. The concert is taking place on Friday 9th December, from 5.30pm to 6.30pm. The will be performance from the SB Choir, Band Club, Jazz Club, String Club, and solos and small group performance on the piano, violin, flute, saxophone and more!
Visit to the British Museum
"The trip to the British Museum was really fun and enjoyable. We were able to explore the Islamic Golden Age and the artefacts at the museum were really interesting. We learnt about what Islam was like years ago and it was really engaging." -Subaha - Arabic "The trip to the British museum was very educational,interesting and enjoyable.We learnt a lot about different places and how they evolved over time.We also learnt about different cultures ,their religions and how islam changed over the centuries.It was truly an amazing trip". -Zara (Urdu) I really enjoyed learning more and more about islamic history, I also liked looking at different pictures. (Urdu) -Maryam M
WHAT IS DEBATE MATE? Debate mate is a programme where we discuss and debate about important topics in our society. We learn and develop our speaking and listening skills. WHY SHOULD YOU JOIN? Debate mate gives you the opportunity to improve and work on your oracy skills such as public speaking and building confidence. It gives you the opportunity to share your views on topics you care about. You get the opportunity to compete with other schools It's a great way to meet new people It can give you the skills you need for the future for example if you want to be a lawyer or a politician It would look impressive on your CV You gain SB hours IT IS A LOT OF FUN!
WHAT IF I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE? You don’t need to worry. Everybody starts somewhere. At debate mate you will work with mentors who will help and support you every step of the way. Its ok if you are shy or confused, don't be afraid to ask for help. Debate mate is all about learning and developing your skills so you’ll be fine. Remember everyone is welcome to debate mate no matter their race gender or ability.
HOW DOES A DEBATE WORK? Usually a team will consist of 6 people. Only 4 of those people will be required to speak and the other two help the speakers prepare their speech. WHAT SKILLS DO I NEED? Nothing in particular. You just have to make sure you are organised and committed to the 17 week programme. Any other skills you’ll need will be taught to you. HOW DO I APPLY? Speak to Ms Sahebdin if you would like to join. Space is limited.
Debate Mate 2022/23 clubs have now started. This is a 17 week programme with 72 students involved across year 7-10 There will be 4 classes in the F zone with Debate Mate mentors leading. We had a fantastic year last year with so many successes; from winning the London debate cup, doing really well in the UDL and Nationals as one of the top 5 schools nationally, to winning the Pinsent Mason cup and the Deloitte Futures First competition.
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