Lent Termly Review 2024 | Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School

LENT 2024

Termly Review

Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School

91 First Form pupils representing the school in football fixtures

CONTENTS 01

Introduction Headmaster's Message

08

Trips Vaughan on Tour

02

Catholic Life Amare et Servire

09

Sport Record Breaking Term

03

Charitable Giving Hands to Help Others

10

Music A Term Full of Music

04

Celebrating Classics Classics For All

11

Events Vaughan Cheer

05

Wellbeing Week Promoting Positive Mental Wellbeing

12

Lenten Devotions Stations of the Cross

06

Careers & Higher Education Oxbridge & Further Afield

13

Love & Service Message from the Development Team

07

Visitors Guest speakers

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HEADMASTER'S MESSAGE Every term at Cardinal Vaughan is full of moments that inspire. One that particularly stands out is Second Form pupil, Kaleb Hanson, who organised a fundraiser for the homeless. This is a resounding example of how Catholic Social Teaching encourages pupils to integrate faith and action, fostering a deep understanding of their role as agents of positive change in the world. This is one of many examples this term.

Our Classics Day was fantastically well supported by a range of alumni who had read Classics at university and returned to speak to current pupils about how it had helped shape their lives and careers. The same goes for our recent Dragons Den event, where alumni, current parents, and friends of the Vaughan from several prestigious companies and organizations gave so generously of their time to come and judge our Second Form business pitches.

Underpinned by the strength of our community and the dedication of our wonderful staff, our pupils have continued to achieve incredible things this term, both in the classroom and beyond. This includes the fifteen offers our Sixth Formers have received from Oxford and Cambridge, with many more receiving offers from leading Russell Group universities.

Other highlights this term include the Vaughan being first Secondary School/Sixth Form invited to the High Commission of India; our Sixth Form girls being invited by the Chair of the Women of the Year Alumnae Club, Lady Louise Vaughan, to support a lunch event for the Alumnae Club with Baroness Hale; the U12 Rugby team finishing as runners-up in the Middlesex Rugby Sevens Tournaments, the highest placed state school; and Fourth Form Toby Yates placing first overall in the Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge.

Our pupils also enjoyed international trips to Austria, Iceland, and Italy, with a Classics trip to Italy to look forward to over Easter. You can read more about all of the above in this termly review. At a time when there are significant challenges on state education, we continue to create as many opportunities as we possibly can for our pupils. Thank you once again all for your support.

Wishing you a blessed Holy Week and all the joy of Easter, Paul Stubbings Headmaster

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CATHOLIC LIFE Amare et Servire

First Form Mass Service to mark the start of Lent Term.

First Form altar servers preparing for Lower School Mass with Monsignor Reader, School Chaplain.

Fragility of Faith Religious Education is at the core of our curriculum from the Lower School through to the Sixth Form. Our Lower and Upper Sixth Form pupils attend a weekly Core RE lecture programme that focuses on important subjects each week to foster faith at the school and encourage theological debates at a deeper level.

For Holocaust Memorial Day 2024, the assembly reflected on the theme of 'Fragility of Faith'.

Holocaust Memorial Day is observed on 27 January commemorating the date Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated in 1945.

The Schola Cantorum sing for Vigil Mass at Westminster Cathedral.

Sixth Form Choir singing at Mass, with First Form pupils dedicating bidding prayers to International Women's Day.

Passiontide Lenten Service led by the Headmaster, Mr Stubbings, and Monsignor Reader.

After an informative and heartfelt lecture from Ms Evans, Head of Religious Education & Philosophy, our pupils and staff marked Holocaust Memorial Day with a prayer written by The Council of Christians and Jews.

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CHARITABLE GIVING Hands to Help Others “What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”

- Saint Augustine

Second Form pupil, Kaleb H, and his sister, Karis and Eleah-Grace, organised their own 5k sponsored walk for Crisis Homeless Charity on New Year’s Day in memory of their Parish Priest, Father Terry Murray, who sadly passed away before Christmas.

They wanted to do something to help others less fortunate than them and help Fr Terry's legacy live on. Supporters joined the Hanson family and did a 5K walk from Quex Road, Kilburn around St John’s Wood and back up to Kilburn. Despite a little shower of rain, the mood was good and spirits were high and the walk was carried out in around 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Kaleb said: "We felt inspired when our Mum recently offered to buy a coffee for a homeless man who we often see sleeping on a bench near our home, however, we also felt that we wanted to do more to help."

Councillor Eddie Hanson, Kaleb's father, added: "They did this walk in memory of the beloved Father Terry Murray who gave so much to help others, and wanted to do something to follow in his footsteps and see his legacy live on through the good work of others."

Kaleb and his siblings were extremely grateful for the support and generous donations and in their efforts to help end homelessness, they raised over £2,500. Very well done to all involved.

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The Vaughan’s Charities At the Vaughan, we are proud to partner with Aid to the Church in Need. Last November alone we raised £2,000 for their £100k4Africa, part of their #RedWednesday appeal.

In addition, we have a long-standing connection with the School of Joy in Bethlehem, a school for children with special educational needs. Last term, we raised £1,000 for the School of Joy. As a school community, we are so proud of the work we do collectively to help others in need. We believe the Vaughan fosters a culture of service and responsibility which equips all pupils to make a positive difference.

Thank you for your support of our affiliate charities.

CELEBRATING CLASSICS Classics For All

The Vaughan hosted its annual 'Day to Celebrate Classics', bringing leading academics and Classicists together for a day that provides huge inspiration for pupils making choices relating to GCSE and A Level subjects, and for those considering applying for Classics at university. As one of only 3% of British state schools that teach Classics, the Vaughan was proud to host the event, to which pupils from schools across London were invited.

During the day, leading academics from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford gave lectures. In the final part of the day, there was an impactful and informative panel discussion chaired by comedian and producer Jimmy Mulville with Vaughan alumni who are currently reading Classics at Oxford and Cambridge as well as Classics graduates. Panellists shared their experience of the subject and their perspectives on how it has shaped their lives and careers.

Jimmy added that he credits studying Classics at University as having a major impact on his life and career.

A Workshop with Giovanna Di Martino

Thank you to all our speakers, panel members, and Jimmy Mulville for their support in making days like this possible and helping us to inspire a new generation of classicists and ancient historians. An extra special thank you to Ms Georgiakakis, acting Head of Classics and Co-ordinator of PSHE, RSE & Careers for organising this incredible opportunity for our pupils and those who attended from other schools.

Our Sixth Form Classicists attended a workshop run by Giovanna Di Martino from UCL. This was based upon Euripides' Bacchae, which students study in Lower Sixth as part of the Greek Theatre module. The focus was on a choral ode from the play, encouraging them to see what it must have meant to be part of a play in a chorus and the physical power that this has on the stage as one body.

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WELLBEING WEEK Promoting Positive Mental Wellbeing Over a third of First Form pupils participated in Table Tennis Club with Mr Brett during lunch!

The ‘My Voice Matters’ Karaoke sessions provided a supportive environment to come together and have fun.

Ms Macgloin led an origami session teaching pupils to make a paper cactus.

At Art Club, Ms Knight asked pupils to create a self-portrait with things that make them happy.

Pupils across the school were given a postcard to give to someone in the school community to thank them for what they do.

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Emotional Regulation Ms Hobden, School Councillor As part of Wellbeing Week, school counsellor, Ms Hobden delivered an assembly on emotional regulation to the Third and Fourth Form, focusing on understanding how everyone experiences emotions differently, and encouraging pupils to think together about the different ways they can manage and cope with challenging or overwhelming feelings.

Thank you, Ms Hobden, for an engaging assembly and for encouraging an open discussion around positive mental wellbeing.

CAREERS & HIGHER EDUCATION Oxbridge and Further Afield We’re delighted to report that a total of 15 pupils have been offered places to study at Oxford and Cambridge in this year’s application round.

The offers mark the culmination of a huge amount of hard work from our successful applicants as well as the teachers who have supported them every step of the way, from arranging Open Days to guiding them through the famously rigorous Oxbridge application and interview process. This guidance includes the annual mock entrance interview event. The event sees applicants put through their paces by Oxbridge and Cambridge graduates drawn from Vaughan alumni and supporters of the school, all generously volunteering their time to share invaluable insights.

Dragons Den The Vaughan hosted a Dragons’ Denstyle event for the Second Form, with pupils pitching their best business ideas to a panel of dragons made up of parents, alumni and supporters of the school.

The panel comprised of Stefan Maingot (OV 96 & entrepreneur and TV producer), Cllr Eddie Hanson (current parent & Labour Party Councillor for Camden), Gerry Jennings (OV 78, current parent & MBA Coach at the London Business School) and Kate Mulcahy (from the Makerspace innovation hub at Imperial College London).

Mr Stubbings, Headmaster, comments: “The way in which the school prepares our Oxbridge candidates captures many of the reasons why Cardinal Vaughan is such a special place, highlighting as it does the dedication and expertise of our teaching staff as well as the support provided by the wider Vaughan community who give so generously of their time to help our current students. Getting into Oxford or Cambridge is a huge personal achievement and we congratulate all our successful applicants.”

Thank you to Ms Vernon-Powell, Teacher of English & Acting Head of Future Pathways, Ms Whelan, Associate Headteacher and Head of Upper School, and Mr Mooney, Teacher of History & Politics and Head of Upper Sixth, for their support throughout the process.

The winning pitch was created by MarkEasy whose idea was singled out by the judges against a very strong field. Gabriel M and Ralph T from the winning team are pictured here with the judges.

Well done to all the Second Form pupils for taking part and thank you to our Lower Sixth Form Business Studies pupils who supported the event throughout the day as well as our fantastic panel of judges.

Approximately 20% leave after GCSEs – most to join other schools, a few to employment, another few to other RC colleges. A regular mighty handful to Oxbridge (10 in 2023); most of the rest to heavyweight universities (66 per cent to Russell Group) to do heavyweight subjects, many to study law and engineering.

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VISITORS Thank you to the many guest speakers we have welcomed to the Vaughan this term.

5 February Tim Marshall, journalist, author, and broadcaster

28 February Hannah Welsh, Biomedical Engineering Masters student Imperial College

A Day to Celebrate Classics 28 February Jimmy Mulville, Managing Director of Hat Trick Productions

7 March Jason Rohan, author of the STEALTH series

20 March David Swinson, Director of Music at Trinity School

6 March Gerry Jennings, Stefan Maingot, Cllr Eddie Hanson, and Kate Mulcahy

12 March Nicholas Troen, Head of Entrepreneurship at St Paul's School

20 March Trevor Stirling, Senior Partner at Moore Barlow

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For our Classics Event, we welcomed guest lecturers Dr Daniel Sutton, University of Cambridge, Dr Adrian Kelly, University of Oxford, Dr Michael Loy, University of Cambridge, Dr Andrew Sillett, University of Oxford , and Prof. Llewelyn Morgan, University of Oxford.

We also welcomed a panel of Classics postgraduates and undergraduates Codi Carnegie (Cambridge), Rose Dolan (OV 2021 & Clare College, Cambridge), Olivia McQuaid (OV 2020 & Brasenose College, Oxford), Florence Robinson (OV 23 & Trinity College, Oxford) as well as Classics graduates Callum Morganti (Slaughter and May), Fiona Lyle (HSBC), Lucy Brant (British Medical Association), and Moa Taylor Hodin (Stanley Arts).

Thank you to all of our guest Classicist who offered such valuable advice and insight into studying Classics at university.

TRIPS Our pupils have enjoyed a range of trips this term

Lower Sixth Economics & Business trip to the Indian High Commission 6 March Our Lower Sixth Form Business and Economics pupils were invited to The High Commission of India in Central London. The pupils had a tour of the historic building and interacted in a Question and Answer session with His Excellency Mr Vikram Doraiswami, The High Commissioner. They also learnt about the functioning of a diplomatic mission and various facets of Indian economic development.

Cardinal Vaughan is the first Secondary School/Sixth Form to be invited to the High Commission. Thank you to Ms Coyle, Head of Business and Economics, and Mr Kelleher, Head of Fourth Form & Teacher of Business & Economics, for assisting the pupils on this trip.

9 January Lower Sixth Form pupils attend Woman of the Year with Baroness Hale

10 January First and Second Form visit The Guardian

15 January Fifth Form watch kin at the National Theatre

16 January Fourth Form DT pupils Kings Cross trip

Geography Field Trip

Sixth Form Philosophy

31 January Fourth Form pupils Toby Y and Edward S make Jack Petchey finals

31 January Lower School ProtoMaker Challenge at Imperial College Makerspace

12 February Upper Sixth Form Spanish pupils watch La Casa de Bernarda Alba

13 February Fifth Form Poetry Live!

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SPORT Record Breaking Term As the term draws to a close, it is important to reflect on the achievements of our pupils who have represented our football teams. Over the course of this term, 210 Lower School pupils, 41% of the entire Lower School, represented our school in football fixtures and this total includes the 91 First Form pupils, 71% of this year group, who represented our school's football teams for the first time. Furthermore, there were 103 football fixtures and 78 different Lower School goal scorers.

Congratulations to all the pupils who represented our teams and all those pupils who have been nominated for the Team of the Week. Additionally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank those pupils who represented our school's football teams for the final time this year and we wish them every success in their upcoming examinations. Finally, our extracurricular provision would not be possible without the support of the parents and the teachers, so a special thank you to all the adults who ensure that a record number of pupils can represent our School in these football fixtures.

Congratulations to our Sixth Form Senior Girls team who placed second in the London Schools' Cross Country Championships at Wormwood Scrubbs. In addition, Cliona O'B, Kate B, Elena D, and Joanne D'S, also placed in the top 30 in the 4.2km race.

Well done also to Nathan D'H, Lower Sixth who came 146th in the English Schools' Cross Country Championships at Pontefract Racecourse representing London out of 307 runners.

Rugby Sevens Congratulations to the U12 and U13 Rugby Sevens Teams who excelled in their Middlesex Rugby Sevens Tournaments with the U12 team finishing as runners-up, the highest placed state school in the tournament, and the U13 team finishing third in their respective tournaments which is a fantastic achievement.

Well done to both the pupils and Mr Leigh, Teacher of Physical Education & Extra-Curricular Sports Coordinator for their hard work in ensuring their participation in these tournaments was a resounding success.

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MUSIC A term full of music This term, the Vaughan held its first ever Keyboard Festival. Many congratulations to all who played in our organ and piano recitals later in the day and thank you to Martin Cousin, concert pianist, founding member of Aquinas Piano Trio and member of Chroma, for his inspiring masterclass that was hugely helpful for everyone present.

Malakai performs with Bradley Cooper During the half term, Fourth Form pupil, Malakai B, performed at the David Geffen Hall in New York with Bradley Cooper, actor & producer, and the New York Philharmonic as part of Orchestrating Maestro: Music and Conversation.

The winners of our seven heats in the school's annual Music Competition competed for the prize of Junior and Senior Musician of the Year. Thank you to David Swinson, Director of Music at Trinity School and Director of Trinity Boys Choir for his adjudication and many congratulations to our winners, James C, Fourth Form and Alex R R, Lower Sixth.

The concert is a live performance of the score of the Maestro film, the biopic of Leonard Bernstein that is now available on Netflix, the soundtrack of which features Malakai’s singing at several key moments.

Malakai received special mentions in Vogue magazine, Vanity Fair and the Washington Post amongst many others!

Well done to the ten Lower School pupils who were part of the chorus in Richard Jones' production of the Puccini opera La bohème at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden over the last month. All performed incredibly well!

Here he is photographed at the rehearsals with conductor, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and fellow soloists, Sam Oladeinde and Philip Sheffield.

Congratulations, Malakai!

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EVENTS Vaughan Cheer

Our legendary International Burns Night was, yet again, a huge success. We are so fortunate to have Vaughan parents Cerys Matthews and Steve Abbott bringing their creative flair and artistic flourish to help create an unforgettable occasion that many in the school community look forward to every year. It’s an opportunity to have fun while raising much-needed funds for The Vaughan Association.

A truly inclusive affair, Burns Night at the Vaughan, as ever, came with an international twist. Taking the chance to celebrate culture and arts from around the world - reflecting the richness in the background of our pupil and parent body – guests were encouraged to take to the stage to share poems and songs that are close to their hearts, including Teacher of Classics, Ms Johnson, who recited 'A Red, Red Rose' and Sixth Form pupil, Tadhg F who read 'My Heart’s in the Highlands' both by Robert Burns. In addition, Vaughan Alumna, Elizabeth Uwalaka shared some of her own poetry and music. And thanks to Parent Governor, Veronique Foucault, for sharing some thoughtful French poetry.

Thanks too, to former Vaughan parent Mrs Outtrim who played bagpipes for guests on arrival and throughout the event, Mr Stewart, Foundation Governor for cutting the Haggis and leading the singing of ‘Auld Lang Syne’. Also to Mr Rammelt, Attendance Officer for donating a number of Scottish-themed items and current parents Ms Scully, Ms O’Shea, Ms Giblin, Ms Healy and Ms Ybarra for the beautiful decorations. Many other parents also generously donated gifts for the raffle which helped raise funds on the night.

We are delighted to announce that on the evening, after expenses we raised almost £3,500 for the Vaughan Association. Thank you to all who attended and made the event a tremendous success and to our Sixth Form helpers who supported on the evening.

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Big Band Back with a Bang As one of the highlights of the school calendar, we are excited that our Big Band event is back after a break.

The New Hall was transformed into a glittering evening venue with delicious refreshments. The event was an excellent opportunity for parents to meet up and mingle for a wonderful evening featuring swing and jazz music from the Big Band who were joined by sensational vocalists whilst the evening opened with a set from the amazing Junior Big Band!

Well done to all who played and huge thanks to all who came to support our incredible musicians and singers. The support from our valued community is what makes the Vaughan. We would like to give an extra special thanks to the Vaughan Parents Association as well as all of the parent volunteers and Sixth Form helpers.

LENTEN DEVOTIONS Throughout Holy Week, are following Jesus on the way of the cross with a selection of readings and reflections, which we will be sharing on our school website as well as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. We invite you to follow along and join us in reflection.

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LOVE & SERVICE FUND Cardinal Vaughan is a school founded on philanthropy, which has grown and developed with the support of its incredible community. Thanks to our community we have been able to deliver ambitious building projects, invest in our staff, and provide exceptional extra-curricular provision.

Over the last 10 years, state schools across the country have seen their funding frozen, with rising costs and cuts to grants. To ensure we continue to provide the same exceptional education we have always offered our pupils, we ask families, alumni, and friends of the Vaughan to consider how they can best support the school through our Love and Service Fund, particularly at this time of year.

Almsgiving is about donating time, services, or funds to others. As Lent comes to an end, we encourage you to think about whether you might be able to support Cardinal Vaughan. Giving alms should be meaningful, and we understand that what is meaningful depends on each family’s situation. Not everyone has time, money, services, or goods they can donate.

There are several ways that you can support the Love and Service Fund, our school’s charitable arm. A fixed donation each month can help us plan for the future. Fixed donations can be a constant reminder to us as Catholics that we should share our resources, and giving back to our school is a great way to do this.

Fixed donations, of course, shouldn’t stop you from spontaneous acts of charity. You can also make a one-off donation to the Love and Service Fund. One-off gifts can be transformational and have enabled us to make key investments in staff. These gifts generate momentum and allow the school to help self-determinate.

We are also looking for volunteers to help at school events, so if you are able to give your time and service, we value that very highly and encourage you to email our Development Office at development@sjscat.co.uk for further information.

Please do read our booklet below for more information or contact Mrs Anna Carpmael in our Development Office.

With best wishes, The Development Team

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