DESC Newsletter 13

What percentage of variation in students’ outcomes (e.g. exam results) is due to OUTSIDE school factors?  This was a question posed at an educational conference I attended last week.  These factors may include socio-economic circumstances, involvement in co-curricular activities such as sport, performing arts, debating and Duke of Edinburgh, extra tuition, parental support, and so on.

The overarching theme of the conference was ‘Social Justice’; Although I was familiar with this term, I was interested in what this meant exactly and how it was applied to education.  During the two days, issues were debated such as the unequal distribution of wealth across the world, opportunities for youngsters post-school and ultimately how the quality of provision, leadership and teaching in schools can impact on ensuring all young people are able to access a level playing field, in terms of education, in order to experience an equality as a foundation to life. The argument being that not all children are afforded equal opportunities when it comes to education.

A well-led school, with great teachers following a well-balanced and enriched curriculum seemed to be the common answer to what all students should be able to access.  Research suggests that a great teacher can achieve the same learning outcomes in six months that a good teacher can achieve in twelve months.  Conversely, it may take some teachers, who are maybe deemed less effective, eighteen months to get the same outcomes.  Lesson one: great teachers have an impact. 

Curriculum is vital to ensuring student outcomes are improved and this goes beyond merely teaching core and other subjects well.  Debating, sport, the arts, trips, information, advice and guidance are all considered essential elements as well as metacognition (how we learn effectively) and an understanding and appreciation of adolescence and the challenges ‘Generation Z’ face.  Lesson two: academic outcomes matter but personal development is more important.  

Leadership at all levels, not just the Principal, but Trustees, SLT, Team Leaders and Student Leaders, all contribute to setting the tone, vision and culture of a school.  Social and cultural capital are ‘trend’ words in many organisations, not just educational ones, and it is the window into what the organisational intention is. Are we driven by examination outcomes alone or do we want to create people who can contribute positively in the future, in whatever manner that may be?  Lesson three: be clear in what you want to achieve and share that with your community.

I hope when you read this, like I did whilst interacting with colleagues and school leaders, your immediate thoughts are that DESC does all this extremely well.  DESC has great teachers who understand educational research, are keen to continually develop, are committed, talented and work incredibly hard at providing an array of opportunities for your children to engage in.  The provision at DESC is of high quality and we are serious about providing the best experiences in areas such as debating, performing arts and extra-curricular activities, including sport. We also provide support and guidance, character development and, of course, academic development. 

Over the last few weeks students have experienced Red Week assessments to measure academic progress (perhaps endured!), cultural celebrations of the 48^th National Day, trips to Hatta, Wadi Adventure and Geography field trips, a Model United Nations debating experience hosted by Oxford University, UCAS application support and many highs (and some lows!) in the sporting arena.  We have collected gift boxes for members of our community (many thanks to Miss McNamee for organising once again) and students have presented their Extended Projects covering many diverse and academic topics.  Staff were able to experience an incredible lunch created, prepared and served by the BTEC Hospitality students and we even had a FIFA House gaming competition.  For me, Social Justice, is about enabling students to experience great schooling and then giving back based on these experiences.  This is what we do at DESC on a weekly basis. Our intention is to develop people who can, do and will make positive contributions.  There are many great schools that do the same but sadly there are some that cannot or do not; we know that there is an inequality in education around the world and part of our education is to do what we can to contribute to reducing this gap the best we can. 

Schools do make a significant difference to children’s lives, of course they do, but in answer to my opening question, research suggests that 80% of the variance in student outcomes is based on outside factors.  This figure actually did not surprise me and most colleagues I asked have been relatively accurate in answering this over the course of this week.  As parents, I will leave you to think about this – do you agree?

The conference provided me an opportunity to reflect on this term and DESC as a whole and certainly there are areas we can improve and, as always, we will continue to strive to become even better.  I was also somewhat concerned at the state of education as a whole in some circumstances, yet grateful and proud of what we have, and do, at DESC – I hope you feel the same. We revisited with students in our end of term assemblies the messages that we presented at the start of this academic year.  We want our students to care, be mindful of why we are doing what we do and appreciate the opportunities they are presented with.  The rest will follow as they say. 

I wanted to make special mention of our Performing Arts department after a week of DESC’s Got Talent and two splendid Winter Concerts.  This was on the back of a trip to the UK where 64 students enjoyed experiences of workshops provided by ‘Arts Ed’, who we collaborate with, a number of shows and other memorable activities and cultural experiences.  Any trip is a huge responsibility for the staff involved and large trips abroad are always demanding and tiring, if not incredibly enjoyable and rewarding.  This was no different except for the fact that one of our students, Hannah Muldoon in Year 11, became ill from an aggressive infection and was unfortunately hospitalised.  Her condition deteriorated quickly and became critical.  Fortunately, her family were able to quickly provide support and the medical attention she received was excellent.  Our staff were incredible, not only in providing Hannah and her family support but also in ensuring the other students were able to continue with and enjoy the trip.  I am delighted to report that after weeks of extreme concern, and what can only be any parent’s worst nightmare, that Hannah has this week shown some really positive signs of recovery and has started to regain consciousness and improve gradually on a daily basis.  She remains in hospital at this time and our entire DESC community sends our best wishes, thoughts and prayers to Hannah and her family and I know that staff, parents and students close to Hannah will continue to support in any way possible.  We will remain positive and look forward to welcoming her back. 

It is right that we celebrate the success of what we have achieved this term and that we recognise our contribution to ‘Social Justice’ and the work you do as parents in supporting us, the immense effort of all staff and the contribution and response we get on a daily basis from students.

I also know that as much as we work in partnership to make DESC such a great place that it is times like this, when a member of our community is in need, that Social Justice, Human Kindness, Goodwill to All (whatever the mantra may be) manifest the most into what really matters; that is, regardless of academic ability, exposure to experiences and even personal development, that we are all empathetic to individual needs and that our children are happy and healthy. 

Hannah, all at DESC wish you a speedy recovery.

I hope you all have an enjoyable, restful, safe and happy holiday season.

Chris Vizzard
Headteacher

Winter Concert 2019

The Performing Arts Faculty has been a hive of activity this week with concerts, talent shows and studio recordings taking place until the end of term. As a Faculty we aim to continually strive to develop performance opportunities whilst providing a platform for students of all ages and abilities to showcase their passion for Dance, Drama and Music. This year we have embarked on another ambitious festive event by producing a Winter Concert that was performed over two nights due to an overwhelming response of individuals wanting tickets.

On Tuesday and Wednesday evening, the buzzing atmosphere within the auditorium was reflective of the sold-out audience of over 1000 family members and friends all equally awaiting the evening’s musical numbers. The evenings were introduced and hosted by our Performing Arts Leaders who navigated our way through ensemble groups, solo musicians and beautiful dance performances. The audience were inspired by our Inter-House Performing Arts winners, including; Maddie Andrade, Jolie Faddul, Emily Geierhaas, Pepper Haining and Reese O’Connell. The audience were able to see the whole of Year 7 performing Musical Theatre numbers from The Lion King, with a beautiful solo dance performance by Amelia Holloway. Our ensembles, including Senior Band, Junior Choir, Rock Band, Junior Brass, Guitar Group, Silver and Stagebound Strings, Junior Band, Saxophone Choir and Jazz Band, performed with true professionalism, confidence and charisma and are a credit to the Faculty and the number of music opportunities that take place.

Our Training Band also made their debut performance and, having had only six hours of lessons, we all felt an immense sense of pride as they took to the stage for their performance of ‘Jingle Bells’.  Our award-winning Chamber Choir also made a welcome return from their recent performances at the British Embassy and Poppy Ball to perform their renditions of Ave Verum and This Little Babe. The finale was a captivating moment with over 200 students performing a ‘Christmas Celebration’ ending the concerts with rapturous applause and a real sense of merriment. Overall the evenings were a huge success, encompassing our Performing Arts vision of collaboration, inclusion and opportunity. We are extremely proud of our students’ passion, dedication and commitment to their love of Dance, Drama and Music. I would also personally like to thank the Performing Arts Team for constantly striving to support and guide our students whilst inspiring their love for performing.

We would like to finish by taking this opportunity to say thank you to the DESSC community for your continued support of the Performing Arts. We hope to see you at our future events and the whole school musical of ‘West Side Story’ but until then we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

DASSA Football League 2019 Review

The DESC Football League Campaign for 2019 has been concluded, and it has certainly been one to remember. Firstly, we have run the most amount of teams in our football programme’s history, as 22 squads have taken pride in representing the school while competing in the DASSA leagues. On top of that, our development sessions have been even more popular this year, with over 150 students enjoying their weekly football out on the excellent DESC grass pitches. More impressively, all the students involved in the football programme so far this season have shown a desire and attitude to develop, learn and compete in the positive environment which is created for our talented footballers here at the College.

We strive here at DESC to develop all round individual characters with a platform to be successful, while creating exceptional teams is also important to us. An achievement worth noting is the triumph our A teams have had collectively so far this season. Through fantastic team performances and individual brilliance, we have earnt league titles in 8 of the top divisions, which is an unbelievable accomplishment from our pupils. 

Highlighting all the exceptional performances and achievements in one newsletter would not be possible; instead, there is a brief summary of the league campaign below with each squad’s results listed. Please continue to check our Twitter account, @descpe, for daily updated news, pictures, results and events.

Lastly, a huge congratulations to all our trophy winners this term and well done to everyone who has been involved within DESC football, either playing or supporting. We look forward to getting back on the pitch in Term 2, as we have the DASSA Cup competition and the BSAK 7’s to look forward to.

The League Campaign stats

• DESC Teams: 22
• Games Played: 128
• Won: 82
• Drawn: 17
• Lost: 27
• Goals Scored: 390
• Goals Conceded: 182
• Goal Difference: 208
• Titles Won: 10

Boys

• U12A – DASSA League 1 – Champions 
• U12B – DASSA League 3 – Champions 
• U13A – DASSA League 1 – Champions 
• U13B – DASSA League 3 – Champions 
• U14A – DASSA League 1 – Champions 
• U14B – DASSA League 3 – 4^th Place
• U15A –DASSA U16 League 3 – 3^rd Place
• U15B – DASSA U16 League 5 – 6th Place
• U16A – DASSA League 1 – 5^th Place
• U16B – DASSA League 4 – 4^th Place
• U19A – DASSA League 1 – Champions 
• U19B – DASSA League 2 – Runners Up
• U19C – DASSA League 3 – 3^rd Place

Girls

• U12A – DASSA League 1 – Champions 
• U12B – DASSA League 3 – Runners Up
• U13A – DASSA League 1 – Champions 
• U13B – DASSA League 1 – 3^rd Place
• U14A – DASSA League 1 – Runners Up
• U14B – DASSA League 4 – Runners Up
• U16A – DASSA League 1 – Champions 
• U16B – DASSA League 2 – 3^rd Place
• U19A – DASSA League 1 – Champions

Festive Box Appeal

‘Tis the season of giving and here at DESC we have definitely been bitten by the Christmas bug! 

This year again in December we launched the ‘Festive Box Appeal’.  For the second year running, this initiative was successful in providing each of our 150 deserving site staff a gift of gratitude from our students, parents and College staff.  The site staff who live away from their loved ones, work tirelessly every day to ensure our students arrive at the College safely, are fed throughout the day and keep our facilities to the highest possible standard.

This was an opportunity for our students to show their gratitude and say “thank you” to people whom they see every day of their College life. Tasked with the mission, our students got to work and their altruistic nature shone through. 

This act of kindness truly seized the essence of Christmas and showed the benevolence and generosity of our DESC Community.     

Thank you for supporting this at home. 

Merry Christmas from all at DESC!

House Awards and Competitions

The House Team are thrilled with the fantastic first term we have had across all House competitions. In particular, this half term we have seen students participating in a wide range of activities, showing great enthusiasm and motivation to succeed. As well as another successful Swim Gala we have seen students from all four Houses involved in a variety of events including; Youth Army Fitness, Scrabble, Cup Stacking and the Performing Arts Competition. We look forward to seeing students continue to try their best in the events they will experience in the New Year.

As well the wide range of House events, our students have continued to improve both academically and pastorally. Students work hard every week in Moral Education, developing the skills they will need to be well rounded individuals in later life.

At the end of another extremely successful, yet busy, half term, The House Team have taken time to reward one student, from each form, who has epitomised what we believe all our students should strive for. This is reflective of their demeanor, manners, attitude and effort. We would like to take this time to congratulate all of the students below for their hard work and ongoing commitment to the culture here at DESC.

As we are also at the end of the first term the House Team have each chosen one student from KS3 and another KS4 to be awarded Student of the Term. The awards have been given to students for a variety of reasons, but all winning students continue to be role models for others on a day-to-day basis. It is with great pleasure that we award the below students and thank them for everything they do here at DESC.

Dubai Students’ Golf League Tournament

On Tuesday, 10^th December DESC entered two student golf teams into the third of seven Dubai Students’ Golf League tournaments, played on the Fire course at Jumeirah Golf Estates (JGE). The DESC students involved on the day were Aditya Kushalappa (Golf Captain), Jay Mullane, Sam Mullane, Alistair Hess, Max Hibbert, Sam Tundo, Yash Nigam and Oliver Fuller. The DESC students played very well on the day, with the DESC A team coming a close second to Gems United School and DESC B team finishing in 4^th place.

Congratulations must go to Alistair Hess, who won the individual competition with 23 stableford points, together with longest drive on hole 5. Those new clubs certainly did the trick, Alistair!  We look forward to the fourth tournament which will also take place on the Fire course at JGE on Monday, 13^th January 2020.

Year 9 Hatta Trip

Sunday, 8^th December saw the departure of the Year 9 trip to Hatta. 64 students travelled to the Hatta Fort Adventure Centre where they were greeted by an amazing group of camp leaders. After a quick introduction and ice breakers, it was straight out and into activities.

Over the three days the students took part in many activities such as mountain biking, slip and slide, canoeing, shooting, abseiling and rock climbing. In the evening we had camp fires with marshmallows, games and a movie under the stars. All the students were on their best behaviour and were a credit to DESC, with the Camp staff commenting continuously on how well behaved DESC students always are. It was a fun filled few days which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. A big thanks to The Adventure Centre for providing such an excellent experience.

Dubai 7s

Dubai 7s is always a big event on the calendar, even more so this year with DESS U11 and DESC U13 Netball, DESC ‘Old Boys’ and even some staff teams, joining our Senior Rugby and Netball teams in the competition. It lived up to expectations, with a fantastic sense of DESSC community spirit across the three days, thank you to everyone who helped to be part of it!

In the weeks leading up to the competition there is always a lot of build-up and anticipation, with this year being no different. The U19 Girls Rugby team competed well across the weekend improving game on game, putting in their best performance ever in a DESC jersey in a tight contest against BSAK in the group stages. Girls Rugby has grown so much that we will be hosting the UAE’s first ever Girls U19 15-a-side fixture here at DESC in January against BSAK, an event not to be missed! The Boys U19 Rugby saw them cruise through to the final without conceding a try, before being pipped to the Trophy on Pitch 1 in front of a capacity crowd and an Emirates fly over!

The Netball competition was fierce again with teams from across the globe competing at the event. Our DESC 1 team played out a thriller in the Plate Final to lose by a single shot, with our DESC 2 team making it through to the knock-out stages too competing in the same competition. A real highlight of the weekend was seeing our DESS U11 team compete on the court next to our DESC 1 team at the same time, a real example of the journey these girls are on. They competed to the end and we can’t wait to see the girls at DESC next year. The U13 girls went one further, winning their event in the following match, a shining example of what hard work and dedication brings. Well done girls!

Emirates Schools Karting Championship 2019/20

Monday evening was the second round of the 2019/20 Emirates Schools Karting Championship; an endurance karting championship that requires students to enter as a team of two to four drivers. The format of each race meeting includes a 30-minute practice and qualifying session and then a 75 minute endurance race against other school teams. DESC’s eight teams had learned many lessons from Round 1 and were eager to adapt their strategy for Round 2. A slight change to the track layout saw the high-speed ‘esses’ section removed and was re-configured to a more-challenging right then sharp left hill section, with a tricky negative camber exit from the turn.

Following the driver weigh-in and kart draw the practice and qualifying session followed, where students were able to find the quickest line and set a fastest lap for qualifying. Track temperatures were much lower than Round 1, meaning that the first drivers out struggled to find grip. As the session progressed and tyres warmed, some flying laps were completed, to set a qualifying time. DESC Team 6 (Lachlan Robinson and Saeed Mebjar) recorded a quickest time of 1 min 16.02 sec to secure third place on the grid.

The start of the 75-minute endurance race went smoothly for all of the DESC teams, with no major collisions. However, as the race progressed, it was clear that the new layout was proving to be a challenge as many drivers spun out in the new section. At the halfway point, Team 6 were still in third position, whilst DESC Team 1 (Caden Poulton and Joseph Nachaty) had risen to seventh place. DESC Team 4 (Flynn Eglen and Josh Duncan), who’d been driving well, were unfortunate in that a minor collision had resulted in a flat tyre, meaning the kart had to be abandoned and Flynn had to run back to the pits for a replacement. The remainder of the race played out without any major dramas – pit stops were efficient and lap times came down as the track and tyres warmed further.

DESC Team 6 (Lachlan Robinson and Saeed Mebjar) were consistent and controlled, which resulted in a second-place finish – a superb achievement! DESC Team 1 (Caden Poulton and Joseph Nachaty) maintained their speed and finished in a well-earned seventh place. DESC Team 3 – Joshua White, Kaiden McIver, Sofia Dias and James Treble drove incredibly well and showed major improvement, which resulted in them securing tenth place, a fantastic achievement for this novice team. DESC Team 7 (Vukan Sarenac, Ayaan Chaudhry and Ahmed Mansoor) secured second quickest DESC team securing eleventh place. Team 2 (Joshua Schultz, Shivain Bhagnari, Muhammad Azim and Sam Campbell) finished thirteenth. Team 5 (Noah Tipp, Matthew Kingsford and Lucas Bird) and Team 4 (Josh Duncan and Flynn Eglen) finished fourteenth and fifteenth respectively. Well done to all of the drivers! I am sure they will be working on their race strategy for Round 3 on Monday, 27^th January.

Handel’s Messiah at Dubai Opera

DESC’s staff and students are a busy bunch, in and out of College.  Since the beginning of term, four members of staff and four students, past and present, have been practising hard at the weekends with the Dubai Opera Festival Chorus in preparation for a much-anticipated performance of Handel’s Messiah at Dubai Opera, which took place on Sunday night.  Under the direction of the BBC’s Rob Johnston, over one hundred singers (including DESC’s very own Ms Wetherell, Ms Davies, Mrs Randall and Mr McIntosh, Darya Badman and Samantha Garbutt (Y13), and ex-students Tony Drayson and Maddison Schneider) worked tirelessly to perfect the finer point of this epic piece of Baroque choral music.  We were so proud of our fabulous singing teacher, Mr McIntosh, and his compelling solo performance of The Trumpet Shall Sound. Accompanied by the St Petersburg Tchaikovsky Theatre of Ballet Orchestra, and under the baton of Andrei Danilov, the concert on Sunday night was a rousing success with a fantastically supportive audience.  The Hallelujah Chorus encore almost blew the roof off the building and, as everyone made their way home, the festive season was most certainly in our hearts.

Student Achievement – Toby Bishop

Congratulations to Year 11 Desert student Toby Bishop on his win at the Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club’s Men’s Open at the weekend. Here is the write up from social media by Sharjah Golf  and Shooting Club, which describes Toby’s challenge for the title:

Bishop holds his nerves to become champion Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club played host to the 12th Men’s Open Golf Championship on the weekend of the 6th & 7th December. As ever the event was fantastically supported by some of the best golfers from across the UAE, with a mixture of young guns bidding to put their mark on the event & the seasoned master craftsmen of the game.

The weekend event was hotly contested and the course was in fantastic condition and praised by the competitors. Day one saw both Toby Bishop and Dan Byrne come hot out of the blocks & posted impressive scores of one under par seventy one. Toby and Dan were closely followed by some big names including SGSCs very own Nathan Fisher who was a single shot back and EGFs Khalid Yousef just two shots back. Also after a poor first round for his standards defending champion William Ang would feel he wasn’t out of it.

The overnight leaders Toby and Dan were nip and tuck throughout the final round until Dan who plays from the Els club unfortunately dropped a few shots late on and had to settle for fifth place. Toby Bishop representing Trump international Golf Club held his nerve on what was a very close affair, he posted a very solid round of golf level par seventy two. Adding this level par second round to his first round of one under par seventy one saw him finish on one hundred and forty three, which saw him become the 12th SGSC Mens Open Champion. The Third player in the final group chasing his first Mens Open title was SGSC member Nathan Fisher and despite having ten birdies over the weekend dropped too many shots and finished in fourth place one over par. The runner up and third spot came from late charges from probably the pre-tournament favorites William Ang and Josh Hill. William was three under for his last four holes to post the best round of the weekend five under par sixty six for a level par total and runners up spot. It was a similar story for Josh representing Trump International who posted four under par and equaling Williams total only losing out to second place via countback.

BTEC Travel & Tourism and Business Enterprise Trip

Even in the last week of term when minds and bodies are drained, BTEC students don’t stop experiencing new adventures. This week the Travel & Tourism and Business Enterprise students were fortunate enough to spend a day at Raffles Hotel in Wafi, Dubai.

Our excellent and extremely knowledgeable hosts spent several hours of their valuable time with our students describing and explaining the history of the hotel, its relationship with Accor and the huge empire that this hospitality organisation has created. Can you believe the Accor brand opens a new hotel somewhere in the world every 29 hours? The students also gained an insight into the vast experience and knowledge of the tourism industry that these employees have. We learnt about the ethos of the company and the value and importance of customer service and placing the guest at the heart of everything they do.

Students left the presentations with greater awareness of the value of the tourism industry, the opportunities within it and the importance of qualifications. However, it was also made clear that the value of excellent interpersonal skills and a strong personality, with the ability to adapt and demonstrate a positive attitude, is equally as critical as a qualification.

Before we left for College we had a tour of several rooms, from the so called ‘standard supreme rooms’ to the beautiful democratic suites. It was clear to see why the hotel is ranked as number 1 on trip advisor, has a very high occupancy rate throughout the year and receives over 40% repeat business.

If you are looking for somewhere to spend some quality time over the festive break I know where I will be heading… On behalf of the students and College we would like to thanks Raffles and the employees for providing us with such a great opportunity.

Here’s to our next adventure.   

Finn Page

Sixth Form News (12.12.19)

We are now coming to the end of what has been an eventful and challenging term. Students are tired and filled with anticipation as the holidays beckon. The atmosphere in assembly yesterday was positive as we looked back at some of the many achievements this term. In particular, we want to congratulate those who were presented with the prestigious award of Students of the Term:

• Year 12:  Dhristi Agarwal and Angus Busteed
• Year 13:  Max Cooper and Marianne Dahler

These students were recognised for all-round excellence and commitment but there are, of course, many others who deserve praise.

In addition, we want to commend both our Girls and Boys U19 Football Teams for winning their respective leagues. The players were presented with their trophies in assembly and we are all very proud of the dedication and competitive spirit that they have displayed throughout this season. Special thanks go to their respective coaches, Charlotte Roxburgh and Paul Barret, for their leadership and guidance.

Following the Dubai Sevens, we would also like to commend the performance of our Netball Team who came second in the Plate. Unfortunately, our U19 Boys rugby team were unsuccessful in a hard fought final and we hope for better luck next year.  

Year 13 EPQ Evening

We were immensely proud of the superb presentations that our EPQ students delivered in our first of two EPQ Evenings. Dedication and academic excellence were on display throughout the night and many parents and students were inspired by what they saw. We were reminded that, at its best, education is about passion and curiosity, rather than simply about obtaining grades and passing exams. Public speaking is also such an important art form and it was heartening to see how well our students have honed their rhetorical skills.

EPQ students who have completed their presentations must complete the final stages of the project over the December holidays and submit it to their respective supervisors when they return in January.

The second cohort of EPQ students must now prepare their presentations and reports. The next EPQ Evening is scheduled for Monday, 9^th March. We sincerely hope that we can count on the same level of support from students and parents.

We are very proud of being one of the largest centres for the EPQ outside of the United Kingdom. The numbers of students and the quality of projects reveals that independent learning is alive and well in the College.

University Matters

All students should have completed their UCAS applications and paid and sent off their form. Over 150 applications have now been processed and many students have received offers, often from prestigious universities. Students who have not completed their forms by today will have to wait until January to have their application processed. We remind parents that a signed checklist must be submitted before the application can be processed. Students who have not completed the process need to give this task urgent attention and fill in the form carefully so as to avoid any errors which will result in further delays.

In addition, we are processing a substantial number of US applications via the Common App.

We wish to remind students that if they require a reference they need to speak to teachers in advance and ensure that they have a proper understanding before submitting them as referees.

Finally, we are very proud of the following students who are being interviewed for Oxbridge places:

These applications are increasingly competitive and reaching this stage is a remarkable achievement. We wish them luck in their endeavours.

Internal Exams

All Year 13 students will be undertaking mock exams which are scheduled for the last week of February and the first week of March. As many of the exams now comprise two full years of content these are very challenging and revision needs to begin as soon as possible.

Year 12 University Applications

Students have started the university application process. In Life Skills lessons they have logged into Unifrog and started to research universities and degree options. In addition, they are planning for their personal statement which is a vital part of the UCAS form. Finally, we are encouraging students to arrange work experience placements and internships as these make students more attractive to universities. Many students have consulted with our Careers Coach, Maria Vitoratos, as she has considerable expertise in this area. We will be covering this topic in Life Skills lessons next term.

There are many challenges ahead but we do want our students to enjoy their time with their families. For those who celebrate Christmas, we wish you an enjoyable festive season. If you are returning home, we wish you safe travels and we look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.