School matters

To say we have had a busy week is becoming rather repetitive; we are only 4 weeks into term but we have already rushed head long through Open Evening, our first House competition of the year, and our initial Career Clinics. As well as that students have taken part in a range of sporting fixtures, a trip to the Lord Mayor's Opera, another to the Natural History Museum and a visit from Arsenal Ladies football team.

Given five consecutive years of record breaking examination results and our double award winning building, I anticipated Open Evening would be busy. Last year we had 1,200 visitors, which led to over 600 applications and a long waiting list. I had expected a few more this year, but to reach almost 2,000 was extraordinary. Queues were long, but the feedback we had was that it was worth the wait!

I have always been keen to maintain that this is a local school for local children. There is no entry test to join us at the academy, for a chance of entry you simply have to choose us on the County admissions form, fill in ours as well, and ensure you meet the deadlines. I have stopped predicting how many applications I expect to receive, as numbers are so high. We anticipate an even longer waiting list this year.

 

Our Science department was a big hit at Open evening with parents and children alike. Our Megalab is unique in the area, allowing students from different year groups to work alongside each other. It really brings practical Science to life, as you can see below, and is one of the reasons Science is such a popular subject at all levels in the school.

 

 House Tug of War took place yesterday, and was hotly contested at all levels. Whittle came out on top after some very close battles. The number of students involved was brilliant, and it was particularly pleasing to note so many of our new Year 7s getting involved. We announced our new House Captains at the end of this event. They will now be involved in appointing Deputy and Assistant House Captains from younger age groups to ensure all year groups have meaningful leadership opportunities. Here are the celebrations from yesterday's competition!



The Careers Clinic is an after-school activity for More Able students in Year 8 and above. The speaker this week was Dr. Arjun Sahota, who was talking about applications to medical school and how to become a doctor. With more students than ever securing places at Russell Group and other prestigious universities last year, we are keen to inspire students throughout the school to aim high, and guide them through these crucial choices early in their academy careers.

Breathlessly busy weeks are certainly the norm here, and I look forward  to updating you on the next ones. I hope to see many of you in person next week, as it is our first Parent event of the year, for parents of students who are new to the school to come and meet their child's Form Tutor. This is followed the week after by a Parents Forum. Your child has a letter about both events, and I look forward to welcoming you on either occasion.