Whitefield News - Autumn Term 1 - 2024/25 by Whitefield School

Headteacher’s Letter

Dear Parents,

First, I must congratulate the phenomenal successes of our 2023-24 Y11 and Y13 cohort. All students lived our vision of ‘great grades’. Our Sixth form improved their average grade score by an entire grade compared to last year and our Y11s achieved the best ever attainment and progress scores in the history of Whitefield school. These results place our school in the top 20% of all schools for progress across the country. What is even more remarkable is this is only after two years of change. Our next ambition is to be amongst the top 5% of schools in the country.

It has been a pleasure to welcome all students back this term. They have all returned to school motivated to do well. Yet again we have risen our expectations further and the students continue to exceed what is expected of them. Attendance and punctuality to school is better and continues to improve as the weeks go by. Students are consistently showing our values, ‘we ARE Whitefield’. Recently, we received a lovely email from a member of the local community who met one of our Whitefield school students who wrote to me to say:

“I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to express my sincere appreciation for one of your students, B in year 9, who recently went above and beyond to assist me in a moment of need. Today, as I was making my way to the bus stop in a heavy downpour, I found myself struggling with my bags and as an elderly person, I was finding it increasingly difficult to manage.

At that moment, B appeared and offered her assistance without hesitation. Despite the pouring rain, she helped me carry my bags all the way to the bus stop, ensuring I got there safely and comfortably. B’s kindness, empathy, and willingness to help a stranger in need are truly commendable. It is clear that the values and principles instilled in her by your school play a significant role in shaping such a thoughtful and considerate individual.

Her actions reflect not only her own character but also the positive environment and excellent guidance provided by your institution. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you and your staff for nurturing and educating such wonderful young people. B’s act of kindness made a significant difference in my day, and it left me with a deep sense of gratitude and admiration for her and your school. Please extend my heartfelt thanks to B and let her know that her kindness will not be forgotten. It is young people like her who restore faith in humanity and serve as a beacon of hope for the future. With sincere appreciation”

In this first half term it has been brilliant to work more closely with our parents and carers through our open morning tours for families with students in the school. This is something we are committed to do as the impact is clear when students, parents and staff all put in effort students exceed our expectations and attain great grades and develop great character. There will be plenty more opportunities across a number of disciplines this academic year, so do join when you can.

If you have had an opportunity to come on site you will have noticed we have been busy making improvements to the school including uplifting the front of the school, completing phase two of the repainting and replacing carpets. Also, we are updating smart board screens across core subjects. All of these changes are just the start and we will continue to take in feedback from parents/carers, students and staff.

For now I wish you a great half term break.

Mr Hunt

Whitefield School would like to extend our thanks to BAM, Willerby Landscapes and Galldris, for their fantastic work putting together our new planters and for the resurfacing along the main entrance. These planters help improve pedestrian safety and bring even more plant life to the school.

This alongside our resurfaced road has made a postive impact to all students, staff and visitors’ experience on a daily basis. This is a part of wider efforts to renew and make improvements across the school site.

Introducing Clarion: A new beginning for the local community

Brand Guidelines

The Rebranding Project has included a local primary school design competition, student and staff feedback sessions as well as public consulatation.

As we celebrate the rich history and achievements of Whitefield School on its 70th anniversary, we are excited to announce a new beginning for the local community. With the help of top marketing firm DNCO, known for their work on the high-profil Brent Cross Town regeneration project and renaming the London Overground lines, we are rebranding the school under a new name: Clarion.

This transformation was shaped by a strong sense of community. As part of the rebranding process, we held a special competition and invited all local primary schools to get involved. Year 5 students from Claremont, Hyde, Wessex Gardens and Parkfield schools participated in an artistic competition to design new logos and suggest potential names for our school! Their creativity and enthusiasm were inspiring, and their contributions played a part in shaping the identity of Clarion.

After careful consideration and consultation with parents, students, and the local community, the name Clarion was chosen. The name is rooted in tradition and forward-thinking. Inspired by "Clare," the Latin word for clear, bright and shining, the name reflects our commitment to illuminating young minds and nurturing bright futures. It also pays homage to Claremont Road, tying the school’s identity to its location. The combination of these ideas —light and place— makes Clarion

the perfect blend of history and modernity, embracing a new era of education.

Join Us on Our Journey

As we say farewell to Whitefield School, we invite you to join us in welcoming Clarion in July 2025 at our birthday party. This new chapter is an exciting opportunity for our school to grow, innovate, and shine even brighter. Stay connected with us through our social media channels for updates on our rebranding efforts, including sneak peeks of the new uniforms, announcements about upcoming events, and news about the unveiling of our new website. The name may be changing, but our dedication to excellence, community, and character will remain the same. Clarion is more than a name—it’s a signal of the bright future we are building together. Here’s to the next 70 years of inspiring, empowering, and educating the leaders of tomorrow.

From top left: Go Ape, Alexandra Palace, London Stadium Stratford, Mrs Doubtfire in the West End

Raising Aspirations Trips Day 2024

Marking the end of our first half-term of 2024-25, where we welcomed our new Year 7 cohort as well as our new Year 12 sixth formers, on October 17th Whitefield held a Raising Aspirations Trips Day. All year groups across the school took part in trips that brought cultural enrichment and acted as team building experiences. Year 7s visited GoApe, Year 8s viewed art at Tate Britain, Year 9s watched Mrs Doubtfire at the Shaftesbury Theatre, Year 10 were spooked at the London Bridge Experience, Year 11 visited the London Stadium and Olympic Park and Sixth Form went ice skating at Alexandra Palace.

Sixth Formers feedback on their day. Omari: I had the best time! It was fun and I got better at skating.

Mahammad: I loved it!

Niki: I have bever skated before.

Mehdi: This is the first time we went on an ice skating trip. It was great and I like it was both year groups.

Ali A: I love skating! It was so fun going on a reward trip as a Sixth Form.

Latifa: It was a great day out with my friends.

Exam Results 2024

We are proud to announce that this year our students have have made incredible progress and achieved our best ever set of GCSE results as a school. With a remarkable Progress 8 score of +0.43 we are in the top 20% of progress nationally. To be exact we are in the top 17% in the country in progress added. Students also achieved our best ever attainment scores.

This is the culmination of amazing work and efforts across the school and from our students and staff who have all demonstrated Ambition, Respect and Effort in achieving their grades.

We strive to maintain our high levels of progress and attainment and achieve another set of great grades this academic year.

What is Progress 8?

Progress 8 is a type of ‘value-added’ measure that indicates how much a secondary school has helped pupils improve (or progress) over a five year period when compared to a government-calculated expected level of improvement.

Confused? You may need a moment to get your head round it but essentially this measure takes a pupil’s performance in relation to their peers at primary school level, compares it with their performance at GCSEs (their Attainment 8 score) and then, after some mental arithmetic, establishes whether the individual has progressed at, above or below the expected level. As before, the scores for individuals are not published but they are grouped together to get an average for a school’s overall score.

source: goodschoolsguide.co.uk

Whitefield Students achieve record GCSE exam results in 2024.

Our Progress 8 Score puts us in the top 20% nationally.

Student Quotes

“I am pleased with my results. A big thank you to all my teachers, peers and family for all of the support and motivation. After school interventions and holiday revision helped me to develop a deeper understanding of topics and kept me motivated.” - Kamilla

“A special thank you to Mr Savleta and Mr Tan for supporting me through my Physics GCSE course” - Aoqin

“I am happy with my results, I always kept up with my school work and kept motivated. My friends and peers helped motivate me. It’s important to take care of your mental wellbeing and I always felt supported and reassured by my teachers who took an interest in my wellbeing during the really stressful exam period” - Vanessa

“I did lots of written essays in these subjects and my teachers provided me with useful feedback that I implemented. I am looking forward to joining the sixth form and studying Sciences and Maths” - Kashif

Thank you to all our visitors, we hope you had a great evening!

On the third of October 2024 we held our Open Evening welcoming prospective families and students to Whitefield School, we hope you had an amazing experience.

We are extremely proud of our student volunteers and speakers who are a fantastic representation of our values of Ambition, Respect and Effort.

Open Evening 2024

We are extremely proud of our student ambassadors.

Across the evening students took part in leading tours, practical experiments, Q&As and interactive talks. Demonstrating all that Whitefield has to offer.

Keynote speakers Eliz and Mahammed in Whitefield Sixth Form shared their journey with the school, and how they have benefitted from the support on offer here, as well as offering some words of encouragement for new students who will join the school in the next academic year.

Stella and Diyar in Year 8 also shared their positive experiences in joining Whitefield from Year 7 and gave prospective students a real idea of how joining Whitefield will benefit them.

Aisha in Year 12 leading a Science demonstration

Eliz (Year 13) and Mahammed (Year 12) giving their speeches

A Face In The Crowd

Selected drama students from Year 9, 11 and 12 enjoyed the performance ‘A face in the crowd’ on Wednesday 09th of October. A great chance to see professional standard acting, setdesign and writing.

Young Vic Theatre Trip Hampton Court Visit

Ms Paschalidi Drama Teacher

On the 24th September 60 Year 9 and Year 10 (History and Sociology) students visited Hampton Court to explore topics of the social class system and politics. Students were divided into two groups for their debate based workshop about politics and the crown succession. For the great majority of our students it was the first time visiting the palace of Henry VIII and through feedback received we know that they have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and opportunity given.

This trip was funded through the Jack Petchey Trip Grant Programme which paid for the tickets and the cost of the coach. Jack Petchey’s commitment to Inspiring, Motivating and helping young people Achieve has created a long lasting legacy, benefiting hundreds of students in our school across the years.

Ms Micun Psychology Teacher / RSHE Lead

Hello Yellow!

Together, our Whitefield Community decided to participate in the Mental Health Awareness Day by wearing something yellow or sharing a ‘yellow slide’ with the students.

Mental Health is difficult to diagnose and it is absolutely normal to have moments of doubt, low mood or struggling to remain resilient. By speaking up about Mental Health, we would like our students to be aware of the fact that many lives are impacted in various ways and to various degrees. We all are likely to be in need of support or support someone that is close to us. On the 10th October we showed that we are all in this together.

STEM Club

This term, students from all year groups are partaking in a wide range of hand-on experiments in STEM Club that bring science to life! From the challenging yet fun, puzzling Pulley experiment all the way to EXPLODING pumpkins in preparation for October’s spooky season!

We have even more fascinating experiments lined up, including the chance to explore the structures and functions of various different organs through dissections!

Mr Abreu Science Technician

Ms Micun

Psychology Teacher / RSHE Lead

We are delighted to announce we will be hosting the Barnet Youth Festival in June 2025!

The festival invites schools to submit some of the best performances of original and devised work created by their Drama students. Spanning across all key-stages, the pieces can be part of GCSE or A-level NEA work or created as extra-curricular projects.

Whitefield will host a performance evening where friends, family, and members of the community can watch and experience the students’ work. We aim to provide valuable exposure for students, fostering their growth and passion for theatre.

The festival will play a crucial role in community engagement, offering exposure and support for student work and highlighting the importance of the Arts.

Ms Paschalidi Drama Department

Explosive Fun in the ARP

A Science Experiment with a Bang!

In the ARP, our Year 7 students recently embarked on an exciting science experiment that combined creativity, chemistry, and a little controlled chaos! The task was simple but thrilling: make a lunch bag explode by mixing everyday ingredients. To make things even more interesting, students added different colours, transforming a typical experiment into a vibrant explosion of gas and colour.

Learning Through Hands-On Science

This experiment wasn’t just about watching things explode; it was a great way for students to understand basic chemistry concepts.

Students were encouraged to make predictions, measure the ingredients, and discuss the science behind the explosion. The addition of food colouring helped them visually connect the production of gas with the expanding bag, making the lesson even more engaging.

Mr Figueinedo SEN Department

Skipping Fundraiser

This October we are fundraising for the 100 skips a day Cancer Research challenge.

Students have been outside every break time taking part in this healthy challenge and we are receiving donations to help this great cause.

We look forward to sharing how much we will raise!

Jack Petchey Awards

Students Hannah (Year 10) and Skyjae (Year 12) have both been relentless in their effort to excel in their GCSE and A level subjects, because of this they have received Jack Petchey Awards which grant funds to the school. They have shown great dedication to learning, especially independent learning that we promote and highlight its importance across all year groups.

It is not going to be a surprise to announce that funding received has been used to further enhance their and their peers’ learning opportunities. Their awards will fund school trips to stretch and challenge their learning.

Hannah’s award funds the Clink Prison Museum trip for Sociology students (Y10 & Y12) and Skyjae’s award funds the trip to the Freud Museum and Schizophrenia workshop (Y12 & 13).

Ms Micun Psychology and RSHE Lead

First Give Session

Year 9 students had a fantastic opportunity to participate in a one day innovative programme offered by ‘First Give’ organisation promoting understanding of how charities work.

Students met in our assembly hall as a year group and learnt about the social issues faced by the community of NW London. Year 9 students created their charities that focused on solving the food insecurity problem. Students had a fantastic time practicing their employability skills across the Gatsby’s Benchmarks such as: Linking their current skills to possible future careers and work market. Working with different organisations and employers.

Each group had a unique way of solving the common problem and worked well communicating their ideas to one another. Students learnt how to problem solve under time pressure, built their resilience by facing unexpected challenges while working on their tasks. In the afternoon, students had an assembly with 4 charities presenting their work and discussing the social issue they intended to target. Right before students donated money to the chosen charity, they were able to reflect on the importance of all social issues, worked in small groups and tried to persuade others about the importance of donating money to the charity they represented.

We were delighted to host charities such as:

Ben Kinsella Trust

FEAST With Us

Football Beyond Borders

Noah’s Ark Hospice

Students have not only donated their tokens representing money but also made pledges to support those charities throughout the year with different initiatives to raise awareness of the social issues they want to target.

Ms Micun Psychology and RSHE Lead

Black History Month

This October for Black History Month our Year 12 Social Science Ambassadors delivered an outstanding Black History Month assembly at Wessex Gardens Primary School. Our students planned and demonstrated great team work, leadership skills, and captivated the audience.

The theme this year was ‘reclaiming the narrative’ and students discussed why we celebrate Black history and why it is imperative to shine the light on the untold narratives of black culture, identity and aspirations.

Well done to Omari, Micah and Duaa.

Ms Nyarko Sociology and RSHE Lead

Every half-term our Teaching & Learning Team put together their recommended reads for KS3 and KS4 students, this one part of our whole school oracy targets.

This half-term these recommended reads are inspired by Black History Month, and all have received critical acclaim for the stories they tell.

FutureChef Challenge

Congratulations to Divine in Year 11 for winning the Springboard FutureChef competition school heat with her perfectly cooked salmon with a hint of lime & homemade tagliatelle in a cream sauce.

She will go on to the next round of the competition representing Whitefield School to cook her dish for external judges next! We wish her all the best and will follow up with more on this story next term.

Open Evening Winners

This year our Open Evening included a Quiz for visitors to take part in. After we received all the filled in quiz cards, fifteen winners were selected from ten different primary schools.

Prizes included, reading books, origami, chocolate and the top prize being a family ticket to On Ice’s Brent Cross winter ice skating. Whitefield would like to extend our gratitude to the On Ice team for their help in bring these tickets to our winners!

www.onice.co.uk/locations/brent-cross

Mrs James Food Catering & Technology

Year 7 YTL

Year 7 have had a busy and exciting introduction to their secondary school career, starting with two brilliant induction days where they got the school to themselves to get used to the building, their classmates and the teachers, as well as get involved in some Food Tech and Science sessions along with saying hello to some furry and scaly friends. We were very pleased with how easily the Year 7s have seemed to settle into their new routines. They are enthusiastic, bubbly and always keen for a chat!

Year 7 had a great day out last week on our trips day, with many of them braving their fear of heights to accomplish not one, but two, courses at Go Ape at Ally Pally! Students conducted themselves well on the bus and in public. We look forward to our next adventure at the Millfield Theatre in December when we are going to go see Aladdin performed as a pantomime. We do ask parents to remind students about the importance of punctuality, completing all home learning and being prepared for all lessons, including PE, as some students have found themselves in Centralised Detention over the course of the half term. It is important to ensure that students are fully prepared to learn and in lessons as much as possible, in order for them to achieve their great grades!

Have a great half term, Year 7!

Year 8 YTL

Ms Ott

Year 7 Team Leader

Every parent wants their child to achieve. Intelligence is however only one factor contributing to success and is not the most important. What is even more important is the development of character to instil excellent attitude, habits and routines. This year’s focus is about developing our Year 8 students to be helpful to staff/others, more prepared for their career interests and being held accountable for their choices. A number of initiatives are taking place to instil the year’s focus.

Student Helpers is an initiative enabling students to gain in school work experience for a day, learning about how to help staff with tasks and take ownership of duties given. Get There First game show is an assembly in which select students competitively answer English and Maths questions. English and Maths are core subjects underpinning all other parts of school learning. Winning participants win points for their house. Home Learning Logs tracking (both excellent logs totals and incomplete home learning logs) allows identification of the best house for displaying independent learning

As students are maturing, the shift in year team focus has shifted towards maturing and preparing students to be equipped for the world of work and real life. Whitefield is committed to developing well rounded students that achieve great grades and have great character.

More updates on the year vision next half term!

Mr Croucher

Year 8 Team Leader

Year 9 YTL

I’m delighted to welcome everyone back after what I hope was a relaxing and enjoyable summer break! As we step into a new academic year, I know many of our students are excited to be starting their options subjects, a big step forward in their academic journey. It’s great to see so many of them already embracing the challenges ahead.

This term has been busy, and I want to extend a special congratulations to our newly appointed Year 9 Ambassadors. These students have taken on the responsibility of representing the year group and our school with pride. Their role includes supporting our community during key events, such as Drop Down Days, helping raise awareness and funds for local charities, making a positive impact both within the school and beyond. Ambassadors also have the opportunity to bring about meaningful change, voicing their peers’ ideas and helping make our school a better place for everyone.

We’ve also been on an aspirational trip to the West End to see Mrs. Doubtfire: The Musical. The musical carries an important message about family, resilience, and the importance of being true to oneself, all of which resonate deeply as our students continue to build strong relationships and face new challenges together this year. It was an inspiring and entertaining experience!

To top it all off, I am thrilled to announce that as a year group, our Year 9 cohort have achieved the least amount of Centralised Detention negatives across the school. This is an outstanding accomplishment and shows the dedication and responsibility they’ve demonstrated this half term. As a reward for this collective effort, Year 9s will be celebrating with a well-deserved non-uniform day!

You’ve made a fantastic start to the year, let’s keep it up!

Year 10 YTL

Mr Tan Year 9 Team Leader

I don’t want to say that time flies faster in secondary school than anywhere else. It was just three years ago that we met at Whitefield School and now we have less than two years to part company as a student and your YTL. Indeed we can make the next few years memorable if you keep your head down as you have done so far this year and concentrate on your learning to obtain the grades you deserve. My wish is to be proud of you all to achieve great grades and great character in 2026.

If there is anything to learn from the trip on 17th October at London Bridge Experience, life can be scary as you cannot see far ahead of you. So make hay when the sun shines and time and tide wait for no one.

I wish you all a restful half term.

Mr Opoku

Year 10 Team Leader

Year 11 YTL

The Year 11s have settled into their last year as a complete cohort seamlessly. They continue to thrive and show signs of excellence, whether in the classrooms or in the wider school community. Displays of friendship, kindness and humility towards one another has become their ‘norm’.

As we enter assessment fortnight, they amaze staff with their ambitions to achieve in all subjects, putting in the extra work outside of the classroom to ensure they give themselves the best chances possible to meet and succeed their potential.

A sense of maturity and seriousness is coupled with the prospect of celebrations and the Prom committee have come together and are ready to begin the plans for the event they all deserve.

Welcome to all our new students and families, we hope you have all settled into your new surroundings well and, students, I hope you have found your peers to be nothing but helpful during your first few weeks.

We had a chance to relax and enjoy a day out for everyone on Thursday 17th, the students had an informative tour of the stadium that hosted the Londom 2012 Olympics. Which also happens to be a certain London football team’s home ground.

Have a good half term everyone and well done.

Mr Boyles Year 11 Team Leader

Counselling Support

We are proud to have an experienced counsellor, Jon Thompson, who runs one-to-one support sessions for students identified as needing extra support. Jon works for FYP (Forever Young People) and helps students understand the difficulties they are facing, work through a booklet to help set targets, and learn strategies to cope with problems that may arise in their future. If you would like more information about this, please contact Mrs Hammond or Ms Thomas.

Forever Young People uses thought, emotional intelligence and ethical practices to create an inclusive and meaningful future through our teenage mentoring programs and coaching which engages young people through conversational-based learning. We aim to provide young people, children, and community groups with coaching/ mentoring that will support them with their low emotional well-being.

To learn more visit: www.foreveryoungpeople.com

Sixth Form

The Sixth Form has had a fantastic start to the year.

Year 12 participated in a robust induction program where they took part in How to be Successful! workshops with an inspirational speaker. The focus was Time management, organisation and target setting. Students have shown active and independent engagement in their subject choices and are starting to plan work experience placements.

Year 13 has shown both motivation and determination for the year ahead. They have settled back into their lessons with outstanding attitudes to learning and enthusiasm . They have been working hard on their CV’s and personal statements and preparing for the next steps after Whitefield School. They have also been revising for the mock examination period which is drawing to an end. The majority of year 13 have taken part in bespoke careers appointments with our careers advisor and have found this experience both inspirational and supportive.

There have been a number of assemblies delivered by guest speakers around topics including: work experience, university life, volunteering and more.

The entire Sixth Form went on a fun ice skating trip to Alexandra Palace. Many students had never skated before and it was a really great opportunity for both year groups to get to know each other and make new friends.

We have many fantastic trips and opportunities booked for the upcoming weeks including mock interviews by professionals and university visits and trips. We will be holding a party with Age UK and embarking on leadership opportunities.

It has been a really positive first half term and I am so excited to see you all progress in the year ahead! Keep up the good work!