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Year 11 Trip to Wales
Last week, Year 11 Geographers went away for three days to Brecon in South Wales. A fantastic time was had by all. A big thank you to the students for being such excellent company.
We measured a small but perfectly formed river for their GCSE fieldwork and saw numerous human and physical features including waterfalls, gorges, a disused coal mine and flood management strategies. We even got some sun on our first walk. Our second group were not as lucky with the weather but showed a mountain of resilience.
Ms Boardman
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A couple of weeks ago, 30 students in Y10 took part in the Jack Petchey’s “Speak Out” Challenge workshop where they learnt how to prepare a speech and how to speak in front of a group with more skill, confidence and enjoyment.
At the end of the day, they were given half an hour to prepare a speech on a subject of their choice lasting between one minute and a minute and a half, which they delivered in front of the group without any notes. Five winners were selected to perform their speech in the main school assembly the following week. We heard engaging speeches from the assembly finalists: Juno 10T, Umi 10C, Lizzie 10C, Suraya 10R and Daisy 10C.
Congratulations to Umi and Daisy for being the School Assembly winners. Both will deliver their speech at the Camden Regional final taking place at Acland Burghley school on 1st December. Good luck to them both!
An extra well done to all the Year 10 students who took part in the workshop, they were all outstanding in their efforts.
Ms Brown
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Reading Journeys
The past few weeks in reading lessons, the Year 7 and 8 students have been exploring the books that are important to their 'reading journeys'. From childhood favourites to books they want to read, the students created visual representations of their reading journeys. Well done!
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Maths Student of the Week
Lynn 8C is this week’s KS3 Maths Student of the Week! She approaches every lesson with a fantastic attitude, consistently putting in maximum effort and working hard to master new concepts. Lynn is always eager to contribute to class discussions and share her ideas, making her a positive and inspirational presence in our classroom.
Keep up the brilliant work, Lynn!
Abena 9T and Hana 9R are our Maths Students of the Week for KS4! They bring a fantastic attitude to every lesson, always keen to offer ideas during class and never hesitate to ask insightful questions to check their understanding.
Fantastic effort!
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What We're Reading 
The Eerie-on-Sea Mysteries by Thomas Taylor
The Eerie-on-Sea Mysteries are a set of books based in a seaside town that during the summer is a cheery place. But come winter it is a town packed full of mysteries. The sign on the seafront is “Cheerie-on-Sea” in the tourist season. But when the tourists leave, the stormy winter gales blow off the “ch” so that it becomes: Eerie-on-Sea. The main characters are Herbie – who works as the lost and founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel – and Violet – who is an orphaned child living in the town and desperate to find out what happened to her parents and why they never came back. This is a book full of mystery and thrill, with a bucket of friendship and love. The series contains four books, and you will delve deep into the worlds of sea-sinking stories, monsters that creep the beach at night, and old mechanical machines left to their own devices. Anyone who loves mystery and friendship will love it!
Hazel 7C
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Music Masterclasses in C30
This year's masterclasses start after half-term. Everyone is welcome and the first two promise to be wonderful. I am especially looking forward to Gillian Moore, whose BBC Radio 3 series, Key Changes, is the best programme on music I have ever heard on radio!
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Wednesday 11 November 3.15 – 4.30pm: 
The Art of Drumming with Daniel John:
Daniel is a young drummer from South East London who has a successful and varied career ranging from Jazz to Heavy Metal to Gospel to playing for WBC Championship fights.
In this masterclass, Daniel will play, talk about different styles of drumming, listen to some CSG drummers and take part in a drum battle with them! If you agree with the comedian, Fred Armisen, that "Everyone knows deep in their hearts that the drums are the coolest instrument, and that a band is only as good as its drummer", then this is the masterclass to come to!
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Tuesday 24 November 5.15–6.30pm: 
Key Changes with Gillian Moore CBE:
Gillian Moore is one of the most important voices in UK Classical Music and Music Education. Her many roles include Education Officer for the London Sinfonietta, Head of Education at the Southbank Centre, Fellow of the Royal College of Music, Director of Music and Performing Arts at the Southbank Centre and author of ‘The Rite of Spring’.
More recently, Gillian is part-way through a year-long series on BBC Radio 3 called Key Changes, exploring the historical turning points that reshaped classical music, examining technological, political and cultural milestones, ranging from the invention of the musical stave in 1026 to the arrival of the internet.
This wonderful series offers an insight into how history and music have shaped one another and in this masterclass she will talk about this.
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 The next masterclass will be with keyboard player and producer, David Davis, who has worked with artists including Dave, Stomzy, Jessie J, Sister Sledge, Hamzaa and Petite Noir.
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Supporting Your Child's GCSE Success:
Y11 Parent Information Session
Year 11 students have recently received the latest edition of our Learning How to Learn: The GCSE Edition booklet and participated in two PSHE sessions exploring evidence-based study strategies.
We are pleased to invite you to an online information session where we will walk you through this valuable resource, helping you understand:
- The science behind effective revision techniques
- Practical strategies your daughter is learning to use (flashcards, brain dumps, knowledge maps, and more)
- How to support productive study habits at home
- Using AI tools responsibly to enhance learning
- The difference between effective and ineffective study methods
This is an excellent opportunity to familiarise yourself with the approaches we're teaching at school, enabling you to support your child better during this crucial year.
Date: Monday, 9 November
Time: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Format: Google Meet (link to follow via email)
The session will last approximately one hour and will aim to include time for questions.
We look forward to working with you to help your child achieve their full potential.
Simon Flynn
Student Learning Coordinator
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Weekly Wellbeing Section
Working on Wellbeing
When life feels busy or stressful, we often think of exercise as something that needs to get our heart racing. But what if we also made time for movement that helps us slow down?
This week, try a short free yoga session. You don't need to be particularly flexible or experienced — simply focus on gentle movement, steady breathing and paying attention to how your body feels.
- Take a few minutes to slow your breathing.
- Move gently, without worrying about getting every position right.
- Notice how you feel before and after the session.
Research comparing people who practise yoga, runners and people who were less physically active has found that both yoga and running are associated with more favourable physiological responses to stress than being sedentary. Yoga incorporates controlled breathing and mindful movement, which may help the body's stress-regulation systems recover following a challenging experience. This suggests that wellbeing isn't only about being physically active; making space to slow down may also be valuable.
Read more: Lin et al. (2022) – The Psychophysiological Profile and Cardiac Autonomic Reactivity in Long-Term Female Yoga Practitioners: A Comparison with Runners and Sedentary Individuals*
*Please note there is newer research (yet to be published) comparing people who do yoga three times a week with people who run three times a week and the neuroscience is suggesting there a protective effect of slower practise, of de-stressing through yoga which then has a beneficial brain pattern when individuals are stressed in a different setting.
Ms Hacker
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Youth Club at Museum of Youth Culture
Museum of Youth Culture will open its new Youth Club on October 6th, offering a dedicated, informal space for under-18s to come together, get creative and explore the culture that matters to them. Through workshops, activities and events, the Youth Club will give young people the opportunity to connect with others, develop new skills and play an active role in shaping the future of the Museum.
Visit our website for half term programme and other events:
Museum of Youth Culture
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