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January Review 2012
Website address: www.clapton.hackney.sch.uk
Clapton ReviewThe newsletter of Clapton Girls’ Academy
January 2012
Message from Cheryl Day,
Headteacher
Welcome to this bumper edition of Clapton Review.
It is fantastic to be able to report that our new
academy has begun life exceptionally well.
Inside these pages you will see and hear about some of the very
exciting and compassionate events our wonderful students have
been involved in. Look out for the visit to Buckingham Palace; the
Minister’s visit to the Learn for Work Programme and a pictorial
reminder of the exceptional ‘Clapton’s Got Talent’... and of course,
much, much more.
Front page news is the very special visit from Baroness Amos, the
UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, who officially
opened our new academy in November 2011 and who now wants to
remain involved with our school. We look forward to seeing a great
deal more of Baroness Amos.
Baroness launches academy
“I walked into Buckingham Palace feeling
incredibly overwhelmed by its beauty, the
corridor decorated in rich deep red and gold. I
couldn’t stop smiling, particularly when I saw
the Duke of Edinburgh,' said Najma Ahmed
10C. On 9th November, Najma and team mates
Rommana Delair 10L and Jamiah Okeye 11L
attended an award ceremony in recognition of
their win at the English Speaking Union (ESU)
London School Debate Challenge in July.
The girls were awarded prizes for their amazing
debating achievement by the Duke of
Edinburgh who spoke to them at length about
school life and their future prospects. This
incredible experience included a tour of part of
the palace, as well as the opportunity to meet
sponsors of the debate events, Cambridge
University, Mediacom and The Week magazine.
It was clear that the girls were experts in the art
of networking as notable guests approached
them, handing them their business cards!
Earlier in the term Najma and Rommana tried
out for the England Debate team. Although their
analytical skill and logical reasoning was said to
be of high quality as they debated on political
issues, the competition from students from
many different backgrounds and an age range
from fifteen to twenty-two years was so strong
that they did not make the team this year but
are determined to go for it again next year.
TERM DATES
Wednesday 8th February
Year 9 Parent Consultation Evening
Friday 10th February
Professional Learning Day
SCHOOL CLOSED
Half Term13th-17th February
Thursday 22nd March
Year 7 Parent Consultation Evening
Friday 30th MarchEnd of Spring term
Coming to Clapton was a
great first choice! Not
only am I in a fantastic
Sixth Form but being in
the academy gave me
the opportunity to apply
for a job at the Olympics.
130 Sixth Form students were taken to an
Olympic employment fair in October
where we were involved in mock role
plays and had the chance to apply for
jobs. I opted to go into catering. Once
through the first round of interviews I was
given a second interview with the
company who I would be working for and
was told immediately that I had got a job.
I am not alone as 100% of Clapton Sixth
Formers who applied got jobs too, some
in retail, some in security and some in
cleaning. Our training begins in March.
We will be paid a living wage and get to
see some of the events. I am so excited
as it is a once in a lifetime opportunity
and I never expected to be part of such
a big event.
Mariam Mulla 12P
Rising basketball star Lauren Thomas-
Johnson wowed students last term.
The girls listened intently as she spoke
of her sporting journey since the age of
sixteen from the streets of Manchester
to competitions around the globe, and
of her experiences last summer
competing with the Great Britain squad
in the European championships and
the World Student Games in China.
Clapton’s own stars were out to
impress the Olympic hopeful in the
coaching session. Their potential was
spotted as Thomas-Johnson remarked
on the talent she saw as they
demonstrated their skills.
Palace visit for
debate winners
Interested in
being a Parent
Governor?
School teams from all six host boroughs competed
against each other in Paralympic sports such as
archery, sailing, goal ball and judo at the Hackney
Schools’ Sports Championships at Clissold Leisure
Centre over a week in October. Clapton participants
gained a whole new perspective on familiar sports
like basketball by playing from the position of being in
a wheelchair. They also discovered a new sport -
Boccia. The wheelchair basketball coaches have
since run taster sessions with Year 8 students at
Clapton. We look forward to supporting the England
team in the 2012 Olympics.
Olympic Jobs
Young Games
Makers
Paralympics
Interviews for a team job
working at the Olympic
Aquatics event took place
on 4th December. Eight
Clapton students were
put through their paces in
the very impressive
offices on the 23rd floor
of the Barclays building
overlooking the Olympic
site, the 2012 Head
Office at Canary Wharf.
They were tested on their knowledge of the
seven Olympic values, and given
apprentice-style pressure challenges of
building towers from only newspaper and
scissors against other youth groups, whilst
Ms Fox & Ms Keatley had a formal
interview.
Exciting news just received - we are the
successful team. We got the job!
Talent spotting
Are you committed to the educationand achievement of young women in
Hackney? Can you devote threeevenings and half a day per term to
Clapton Girls’ Academy?
If so, we would love you to join the
Governing Body as a parent governor.
For more information please e-mail
Camilla Allwood, Chair of Governors
cga@clapton.hackney.sch.uk
Baroness Amos, the UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs
paid a special visit to Clapton on 9th November for a celebration of the
school’s conversion to an academy at the beginning of the term. Baroness
Amos, who was the first black woman to sit in the Cabinet and the first
black leader of the Lords, gave a speech saying, ‘Educating girls is the key
to development in many of the poorest communities in the world. I am glad
that the students here are taking their access to quality education seriously.
It is inspiring to see their commitment and dedication.’
Baroness Amos unveiled a plaque
commemorating the occasion and
delighted students as she spent time
talking with them and visiting lessons.
Followus on:
Each year the government prepares a document
called RAISEonline that summarises a school’s
GSCE results against national averages.
The British Council’s prestigious
International School Award, a badge
of honour for schools with
outstanding international education,
has been given to Clapton Girls’
Academy for a further three years.
Recognising that today’s young
people must gain the cultural
understanding and skills they need
to live and work as global citizens,
the academy creatively brings the
world into the classroom. Work with
link partner schools overseas is a
particular strength.
Clapton Girls’ Academy has
been successfully
reassessed for its Inclusion
Quality Mark, proving once
again that the teaching and
learning, achievements,
attitudes and well being of
every child matters in our
academy. The Quality Mark
in inclusion looks at how
schools see differences as
opportunities for learning.
As the Victrix Ludorum
student, I was asked to take
part in National Apple Day on
21st October. I was at the school
gates at 8am giving out hundreds of
apples to every student as they arrived for school.
We told students why we were giving them out. I think this
event was a great idea as it
advertised healthy eating at
our school.
It was so successful that at
the end of term we held a
Satsuma Day!
Wuraola Ijelu 9A
December saw the
introduction of a new
healthier lunch time
menu. A big thank you
to students and staff
who helped by giving
their views on how to
improve the service.
We feel it is vital
students make the right choices about their diet,
exercise and well-being and have also increased the
amount of hours available to students to exercise and
train for their chosen sport, and put even more sports on
the menu too. Students can now exercise, meet friends
and get fit and healthy at 7.30am basketball training
sessions (with complimentary breakfast), and after
school boxercise, rowing or fencing clubs. Indulging in
something naughty once a week on the new ‘Treat Day
Tuesday’ will be great after burning off a few calories!
The Hackney Sports awards took place at the Hackney
Empire on 2nd November. Clapton was well represented
and came away with several achievements.
Former student Vanessa Humphrey won the ‘Outstanding
Contribution to the London Youth Games’ award, alongside
her team mates in the Hackney Youth Kayak Slalom team
for taking their team from 15th to 5th place. Vanessa was
welcomed back on stage with Florence Buckwell 9A, Josie
Gummer 10A and Seun Adeduntan 9L to be congratulated
for their medal wins in the London Youth Games by Dalton
Grant, a Hackney born and bred Olympic medallist.
Ms Keatley and Ms Van Staeyen were also invited onto the
stage as very well-deserving runners up in the 'Voluntary
Services to Sport'
category. These girls
and staff members have
since been awarded
tickets to the 2012
Olympic Games for their
fantastic achievements.
Josie Gummer 10A was nominated for one of the
seventeen Hackney Sports awards. Currently placed fifth
nationally in her age group for sailing, Josie first learnt to
sail at West Reservoir in Stoke Newington after visiting
with her junior school. She is now following her dream of
progressing through the Royal Yachting Association
pathways to become an Olympic sailor.
Josie, who races in a cadet dinghy, first as crew, and
now as helm, has set her target to get into the National
Elite squad. In addition, Josie has also received a silver
medal for Hackney in the 2011 Youth Games.
Team spirit has been very strong so far in the fierce battles for
victory in Interform competitions. Results so far have seen
wins for 7L and 8L in the Year 7 and Year 8 basketball
competitions, and for 8A and 9A in the Year 8 and Year 9
netball competitions.
The PE Department thank all students who represented their
forms, and those who helped deliver the events. Dates are
being arranged for more opportunities to become champions
in this term’s interform events.
‘Consisting of 40% new buildings and 60% refurbishedbuildings, the design provides an enhanced physicalenvironment with particular respect to the historicarchitectural features of the existing Edwardianbuildings. Sustainable features throughout. HackneyDesign Award winner 2010 (Jestico + Whiles 2010)..’ran the Clapton Girls’ Academy advert for Open House
London weekend in September. Billed as the capital’s
greatest architectural showcase this event was a
unique opportunity to get under the skin of London’s
amazing architecture. With a theme of ‘The Liveable
City’ communities discovered more and spoke out on
issues relevant to their local area, from design of
homes to impact of climate change, showing how good
design can make London a more liveable city.
Clapton Girls’ Academy joined with over 700 other
buildings of all kinds in opening its doors to the public in
a truly city-wide celebration of the buildings, places and
neighbourhoods where we live and work. Many visitors
were welcomed and shown round our award-winning
site, from ex-students with fond memories to inquisitive
local residents exploring what is on their doorstep.
One Hackney resident said: “Open House made me
realise that there are some innovative and interesting
things beginning to happen in Hackney, an area I
haven’t previously associated with notable
architecture.”
For information on Openhouse 2012 see
www.openhouselondon.org.uk
RAISEonline Apple Day
Hackney
Sports
Awards
AttendanceOur academy fairs very well with
school absence and persistent
absence well below national averages.
Attainment
Attainment compares our GCSE
grades to national figures. The
headline figures for 5+ GCSEs at A*-C
including English and mathematics are
in line with national figures. At subject
level, the English, languages, science
and statistics were significantly above
national average. No subject was
significantly below national average.
In terms of average points score, we
are in line with national figures.
However for the top 8 subjects in
GCSEs, the points score obtained by
students at our academy is
significantly above the national
average.
Narrowing the GapsNarrowing the gaps monitors how
students who receive FSM compare to
those who do not. At our academy, the
gap between these was significantly
smaller than seen nationally.
Value Added PerformanceThis is a measure of the progress
students make between different stages
of education – our value-added score
for the top 8 subjects including English
and mathematics is in the top 5% of
schools nationally and at subject level,
English and science are in the top 1%,
with mathematics in the top 6%,
languages in the top 2% and humanities
in the top 7%. SEN students and free
school meals (FSM) students are also
significantly above national average.
Progress Progress compares the level at which
students enter the academy to the
grade they achieve at GCSE and
monitors the percentage that make
good progress. At our academy 88%
made good progress in mathematics
and 74% made good progress in
English - these are both significantly
above the national figures.
Recently published, the report shows Clapton Girls’ Academy to be significantly above schools nationally.
The report has five main sections:
I suggested to my form that we get
involved in the ‘World’s Biggest
Coffee Morning’ in September,
initiated by Macmillan Cancer
Support. We were joined by 9T in
our efforts and baked cakes,
biscuits and cupcakes. We sold
them to students and staff after
school. The event was a huge
success raising £164. We raised
people’s awareness about the
excellent support work Macmillan do with cancer patients and look
forward to fundraising again next year. Edie Sharples 9C
Bake Sale
January Review 2012 January Review 2012
Interform battles
Cross CountryWe had great success on the cross country circuit in
October. In the Hackney Secondary Schools’ event the
Year 7 team came in the top twelve positions in the field,
whilst Milly Croft 9L led the Year 8 and 9 team to the finish
line in 11 minutes 34 seconds. In the Senior category
Kikelomo Ogunyanwo 10T came away with a bronze
medal. As a result over ten Clapton students represented
Hackney in the London Youth Games cross country
competition in Parliament Hill on 19th November.
Our Year 7 team also competed in the first of its kind
cross country relay in Lee Valley Athletics Centre,
claiming 8th position from an extremely strong field of
schools from inner London and the surrounding counties.
The borough’s musical talent hit the high note when more than
340 young performers came together to create an extravaganza
at the Hackney Empire on 10th November. Singers and musicians
played to the packed-out Mare Street venue for the annual gala
concert organised by the Hackney Music Service.
The programme featured a veritable feast of colour variety to whet
the appetite and satisfy the taste of a wide cross-section of music
lovers. Among this eclectic musical mix Clapton’s Ruby Margetts
11T, Chaimaa Elazrak and Robiatu Jalloh-Cole 11P filled the
stage with a medley of two songs. Clapton was equally
represented in the orchestras with Jess Judge 9P, Bella Harter 9T
and Amy Coles 8C playing cello and flute and Sophie Johnston
9P, Milly Croft and Coral
Sinclair Fenn 9L playing
clarinet. The evening
culminated with a Hackney
Borough Youth Orchestra
and Choir performance of
O Fortuna – better known as
the title song for hit ITV show
The X Factor.
A Senegalese sabar
drumming workshop led
by Outhouse Rubabi
members was laid on
for 7N and 9C in
December. These
professional musicians
perform in and around
Europe and Africa at
various Jazz and World
Music Festivals.
Sabar drumming is normally
accompanied by dancing and
usually takes place for special
occasions and festivals
including births, baby naming
ceremonies, weddings,
holidays and other special
celebrations. Students learnt
about various drums and
their purposes, including the
talking drum, and played
various riffs and polyphonic
and cross rhythms.
January Review 2012 January Review 2012
Clapton has joined the green
revolution and is actively leading the
way to a more sustainable future by
finding ways to reduce the school’s
carbon footprint and cutting down on
its waste.
A recycling initiative was launched in
the Dining Pavilion in December. In
preparation for the launch, Sixth Form
representatives visited classes to talk
about how the new scheme would work and why it is important to
recycle. They were then on hand at lunch time demonstrating how
it should be done, throwing rubbish and scraping plates into the
right bits of the new recycling units.
Two weeks after the start of the scheme it looked like everyone
had quickly grasped what to do. 2012 will be a year when recycling
expands and even more green plans become reality. We are
already well on our way to being
an eco-friendly site.
Reuse Reduce Recycle
ECO warriors across the borough were praised for
their work to make schools greener and more
sustainable at the Hackney Schools’ Green Heroes
Awards on 28th November. Among the winners was
Maya Bednall-Greaves 10P, who took home the Key
Stage 4 Pupil medal for her commitment to
gardening and recycling. A keen member of the
Earthcare club, Maya can be found planting, pruning
and weeding without fail in the school grounds, even
in the darkest, coldest, rainy winter afternoons.
Maya has also taught other students how to make
green tomato chutney from tomatoes grown in the
school garden, used recycled materials to make
dried lavender gift bags and a spectacular
Christmas wreath! Truly a pioneering green hero.
Leave with a future
Green
Heroes
PetcheyAwards
Sabar drumming
I went to the Great British Music
Experience at the O2 in
November. On display were
songs, clothes and information
about artists from different eras.
We were shown how to play
guitar, drums and piano and
how to use a mixing desk.
Moving on to the dance and singing booths we
discovered our tickets were no ordinary tickets. They
had a memory chip inside. We recorded our song and
dance sessions and have since been able to view
them on the exhibition’s website. The last room we
went into made us feel like we were in a live concert
as we were surrounded by screens. The event was
fun and it was amazing to learn how much music has
changed over the years.Gala Edmunds 7L
Empire
Gala
Concert
Our journey to the Royal College of Music began on a hot
253 bus and ended on a train stuffed full of people. However,
when we got there the college was great. It was big and old
fashioned with ancient features. We learnt a lot on our
museum tour, seeing valuable and delicate but really
beautiful and well-preserved instruments. There was a
harpsichord made by Jacob and Abraham Kirkman in London
in 1773 (possibly the oldest keyboard in the world); a barrel
organ with sixteen notes and an original picture of Joseph
Haydn who lived from 1732 to 1809.
We were all excited to be able to perform our rehearsed
song, Baba Yaga in front of the audience in an interactive
concert before our long journey home.
Happy Imafidon 8A
Royal College of Music
Jack Petchey Award
winners from 2010-2011
were invited to attend a
special presentation
evening at Stoke Newington Town Hall on 1st November
to recognise their achievement and be presented with a
medallion. The students and their families were
delighted and we are really proud of these amazing
students who have contributed so much to the life of the
school in sports, as members of the School Council and
as student ambassadors.
Learn for Work, an innovative education programme
and partnership between Linklaters and seventy-
eight schools was launched at Clapton Girls’
Academy by Tim Loughton MP, Minister for Children
and Families. The award-winning scheme currently
inspires over 10,000 young people globally each
year. In London the scheme raises the skills,
aspirations and experience of young people through
activities including debating, interview experience
and advocacy training as well as work experience,
careers events and enterprise projects.
The event showcased Linklaters’ partnership with
our academy and included guests from KPMG,
Freshfields, the Corporation of London, Clare
College Cambridge and the Social Mobility
Foundation.
I am in a group of thirty-five Year 10 students who are being
mentored by staff from Linklaters law firm. The mentors are
professionals employed in high profile jobs, such as lawyers, who
have volunteered over the year to help raise our aspirations and
support us to reach our full potential. They share their work and life
experiences with us, preparing us for the working world. We look at
topics like coursework, searching for colleges, CVs, job applications
and career options. This programme is a once in a lifetime
opportunity for us to progress to a successful, well-organised future.
Another group of Year 10 students are mentored by staff from AON
in the same way.Deniz Agirbas 10P
Dear Parent16th November 2011
After an
exciting journey
across the Channel, here we are
in Boulogne. So far, we have visited an amazing
aquarium. I have never seen so many types of
jellyfish and shark. We practised our French in the
shops of the old town and bought berets! The town is
very quaint with impressive fortified walls. The
teachers bought baguettes for us to try. You should
have seen the number of baguettes they came back
with for the sixty-nine of us on the trip. On the way
home we will stop at a big supermarket. I will bring
back some beautiful French cheese for you. The
weather is chilly but it is a wonderful day.
Great British Music Experience
The vibrant, brightly coloured
shop packed full of chocolate
greeted us on arrival at Cadbury
world in Birmingham.
We were led to the start of the
exhibition - the history of chocolate and
then into Bull Street, a full-scale replica
of the original street where John
Cadbury opened his shop in 1824. After
this we were told the inspiring story of
John Cadbury’s early struggles to
establish the business and shown a
video of how chocolate is made. Then
came the best part, the tour of the
factory. We got a sneak peek at a huge
vat of molten chocolate behind a glass
wall.
To entice us to buy we came to three
counters – one where we wrote our
name in chocolate and ate it, another
making chocolate shells and the final
one a tray covered in dozens of small
containers, filled with molten chocolate
with spoons provided. It was inevitable
that most of Year 9 bought oversized
chocolate bars in the gift shop!
Áine Harnett-Lennon 9N
January Review 2012 January Review 2012
A day of cleaning, labelling and loading over two hundred
bicycles into a container, alongside other equipment and books,
was hard graft for members of Bikes2Gambia, an initiative run by
the Police Cadets. Working together with a project called
Bikes4Africa we had previously sent hundreds of bikes to Africa.
We started our day at 9am and finished at 5pm, exhausted and
dirty! As the lorry drove off we waved excitedly, knowing the next
time we see the container will be in the Gambia distributing its
contents to the local children. A celebration was held before going
home, with everyone thanked for their help and support.
Nida Dyer 13F
I have always been interested in
Law so when I heard about the
Pathways to Law programme I
was determined to get a place on
the two year programme split
between University College
London (UCL) and London School
of Economics (LSE).
The programme includes workshops about the Legal
system, debates, frequent visits to the courts, as well as
work experience at the UK’s Magic Circle Law firms.
I sent off my application and personal statement about
why I deserved a place on the programme and was
given a conditional place, dependent upon my GCSE
grades. After receiving my results I finally received a
letter confirming my place at UCL’s Faculty of Law. I was
elated as competition is always very strong. I am now
one term on and busy unpicking all the aspects of Law
in preparation for my future career.Chrisann Jarrett 12M
As part of their Wild Swans Womens’ Leadership scheme four
Sixth Formers found themselves sleeping under the stars in a
game reserve last Summer.
Armed with skills from leadership workshops and the benefits of
mentoring and training from powerful female leaders Briony
Lambert, Tania Hossain, Titilope Badru and Alexie Telan set off for
a fifteen day wilderness trail in South Africa. Surrounded by wild
animals in the Imfolozi Game Reserve, the girls were definitely
out of their comfort zone, carrying all their possessions in
backpacks, spotting hyenas on night watch, washing in crocodile-
infested waters and running away from rhinos for five days!
Construction work was on the agenda for the second week,
sieving sand, mixing concrete and plastering school walls in 36
degree temperatures in Mabandla village. Living with families the
group lived simply without electricity and running water. Fully
involved in community life they met the chief and joined in with
traditional dancing, as well as paying a visit to the HIV clinic and
patients’ homes.
Launched as a one-day event in 2000, The Big Draw is now an annual month-long
festival of over one thousand events across the UK in museums, galleries, heritage
sites, libraries, schools and parks.
As part of a ReachOutRCA Big Draw project that combines drawing, collage, 3D
construction and film-making Year 7 and 8 students took part in a workshop with Jo
Blaker, a recent graduate from the Royal College of Art. Students used images of
pots, utensils, jewellery and metalwork to construct intriguing imaginary objects.
Finally they transformed a standard paper cup into something new and unique.
An exhibition of work produced during the project was on show in the Hockney
Gallery at the RCA in November.
What better way to enthuse students about
geography than by giving them the opportunity
to win a free weekend of field studies and the
chance to compete in an international
geography competition?
Making its debut in Hackney, Clapton hosted the first stage of
the Geography Worldwise Quiz contest run by the Geography
Association. The scores of competing schools Clapton,
Petchey, Stoke Newington and Our Ladies were close after
rounds of questions on General Knowledge, Where in
Hackney and having to identify difficult pictures. Despite being
spectacular, our Year 9 team of Beatrix Webb, Fauziya Lakhi
and Aine Harnett-Lennon were in third place, missing first
place by just four points!
Flatford Mills
More than a million people viewed
the Rivers of the World exhibition,
part of the Thames Festival lining
the banks of the River Thames in
September. The art work was also
on display in the gallery@oxo and
other riverside venues in
participating countries.
With the help of professional artists,
Clapton students worked with our
partner school in Turkey to produce
huge artworks symbolising the
history, culture and environment of
the river Thames in London and the
Bosphorus in Istanbul.
Profiles
Women of the Future
Bikes4Africa
Chasing Crocodiles Rivers Unite
Could an 18 year-old who
discovered two asteroids and a
doctor who found bacteria can
power cars be the future of
women in technology? All was
revealed at The Women of the
Future Awards.
Le My Dang 12M who made headlines for being
Hackney’s highest achiever with her 12 GCSE A*s last
summer, was nominated in the Young Star category of
the Women of the Future Awards for showing
exceptional promise in our academy. Invited to the
glittering awards ceremony at the London Marriott
Grosvenor Square for being on the final shortlist of
five candidates, she rubbed shoulders with
honourable guests HRH The Princess Royal, Cherie
Blair, and Miriam González Durántez, wife of the
Deputy Prime Minister. Unfortunately Le My was
pipped to the post for an award, but it was great to
see a fellow Sixth Former from Mulberry take the
trophy from under the noses of students from Oxford,
Cambridge and Imperial College!
At another event five Sixth
Formers spent an evening
with 100 leading business
women at the Women of
the Future ambassadors
programme annual
reception. All managed to
successfully secure either a work placement or an
invaluable contact. Highlights of the evening included
an inspirational speech from Miriam González
Durántez and a chance to practice professional
networking skills.
Law Pathways
The
B
ig Dr aw
Cadbury World
From the idyllic setting of Flatford Mills
Field Centre, a place made famous by
Constable's painting 'The Haywain',
Geography GCSE students ventured out
to Walton-on-the-Naze to study the coast
which is being eroded at up to two metres
a year. Students were addressing the
hypothesis 'Not all coastal management
schemes are successful'. Along this
stretch of coastline there are many
different sea defences, including groynes,
rip rap, sea walls, drainage and grading.
Despite glorious sunshine and warm
weather, our students focussed on the
task, using theodolites and other specialist
equipment to measure the impacts of
coastal defences on the beach during the
day, and processing their results in the
classroom during the evening. A very
successful field visit!
January Review 2012 January Review 2012
The first round of the oldest national debating competition in the UK,
The Schools’ Mace organised by the English Speaking Union took
place at Clapton in November. Running since 1957, discussions are
encouraged on controversial topics and current affairs. Students in
the competition develop their knowledge, while enhancing their
speech writing, public speaking and analytical thinking skills. Former
winners have gone on to become MPs, well-known journalists, senior
lawyers, prominent scientists and captains of industry.
Showcasing their excellent debating skills against teams from
Willowfield, City of London Girls’ and Mossbourne, the brilliance of
Sixth Formers Ruth Lyons and Chrisann Jarrett took them through to
the second challenging round this term.
D e b a t i n g
Year 5 pupils came to our Portico building for poetry workshops
with professional poets, Rachel Rooney and Nii Parkes in
November. They listened to readings and worked on developing
their creative writing skills. Later in the week the poets visited
them in their primary schools, Baden-Powell, Daubeney,
Gainsborough, Kingsmead, Rushmore and Southwold. Their
creative work will be showcased on a dedicated website.
Clapton’s debating teams have been working
hard. Not only have they had their own
competitions, but students have also been
supporting pupils from our local primary
schools in building their debating skills,
including taking them for further training to
Clare College, Cambridge.
A Model UN course running over six weeks of the Autumn term
culminated in a weekend event at the UN building in London.
Clapton students assumed the role of delegates of South Korea,
Nigeria and New Zealand, debating the subject of climate change
with 400 other delegates from national and international schools.
After the two days of moderated and unmoderated caucus resolution papers were
written, showing actions proposed by individual countries to fight climate change.
Awards were given out to student teams for the best proposals. Nida Dyer 13F and
Maariya Dawood 13D received an honourable mention for putting forward such a
strong economic and political resolution on behalf of Nigeria.
Nida Dyer 13F & Hafsa Khatun 13D
Sixth Form Drama students embraced
their studies last term by seeing
performances of Saved by Edward
Bond at the Lyric Hammersmith and
Phaedra’s Love by Sarah Kane at the
Arcola. Both plays belong to genres of
theatre which seek to shock and
unsettle the audience.
Having read Saved in class, the girls
relished the opportunity to see the
new, cutting-edge production
performed by professional actors.
Phaedra’s Love introduced the girls to
an ancient story recreated in a violent
and nihilistic modern world.
Interacting with Sixth Formers from
other local schools in a theatre
workshop taught our
students about the impact
and purpose of theatre.
Model
UN
Deathly HallowsSilver cinema tickets in hand we set off to
the Barbican Theatre to see Harry Potter
and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the day
after the film was released. Entering into
a Harry Potter themed setting with
dangling cobwebs, gloomy owls and
creepy spiders certainly made the people
dressed up as characters from the film
seem real! The experience became even
better when we found out the screening
was in 3D. Thank you to Linklaters for
making this truly astonishing trip possible.
Ayesha Begum & Alexie Telan 13D
Student
Parliament The Schools’ Mace
A journey to Shakespeare’s birthplace,
Stratford-upon-Avon was embarked
upon by Year 13 English Literature
students on 17th November. It was a
fantastic experience on both a cultural
and educational level with a tour of the
home of our famous bard, followed by a
tour of Anne Hathaway’s cottage. Our
tour guide treated us to a wonderful
rendition of Poet Laureate, Carol Ann
Duffy’s poem, ‘Anne Hathaway’. The
day ended with a fascinating two hour
seminar on Shakespeare’s famous
tragedy ‘King Lear’.
Freshers’Week
Saved
Stratford
PorticoPoetry
Year 12 Government and Politics students voiced
opinions on the motion ‘Taxpayers should
subsidise university education for the betterment
of our society’ at a Student Parliament session in
the Houses of Parliament. All girls spoke out, with
special mention to ‘Government Backbencher’,
Aysha Mirza who spoke for the motion and
Chrisann Jarrett who had the challenging role of
closing the debate for the opposition. The
students followed House of Commons procedure
for the day and had an invaluable lesson in the
function and processes of Parliament.
As the post riots debate continues, two Clapton
Sixth Form groups are taking matters into their
own hands by organising positive action aimed
at repairing some of the damage done. Their
submissions in this year’s Pitch4Change
programme run by Envision focused on
challenging misconceptions of young people by
building community relationships and showing
that they care about their neighbourhoods.
They presented their ideas to a panel of
business people from Clifford Chance, EDF
Energy, Legal & General Property and Morgan
Stanley in the hope of winning up to £500 for
their projects.
The team calling themselves ‘Unity in the
Community’ were awarded £420 to give young
people the opportunity to express their feelings
and opinions through art. They plan to run a
series of interactive sessions in local schools
where students will be able to contribute to
community murals. The other team called
‘Hackney Secrets’ aims to help eradicate
negative stereotypes of the landscape by
placing photographs of beautiful areas of the
borough that are not commonly known about in
local hotspots such as cafés and libraries.
Faculty Fortunes, the game show for all staff, was
organised by Year 12 Young Enterprise students
as a fundraiser for their business, Phoenix
Enterprise. The Academics team (Science and
English) led by Mr Fachini went head to head with
the Teachers team (Humanities and Business) led
by Ms Lynch. Cheered on by an excellent
audience turnout through general knowledge
rounds and charades the winners were .... the
Academics. The event raised £60 for the group’s
new venture, an exciting product which should be
on sale in school soon.
The cast of As You Like It, comprising of
fifteen Year 10 and 11 students, performed at
the Unicorn Theatre as part of Shakespeare
Schools’ Festival in November.
The project encouraged the girls to actively
engage with Shakespeare and hone their
drama skills whilst experiencing the electric
energy of a live performance. Being a
comedy, As You Like It proved a big hit with
the audience and there were several rounds
of applause - for clever acting and amusing
moments - during the play.
Following on from the success of last year’s production of Twelfth Night, festival
organisers were once again impressed with Clapton’s theatrical talent. Official
feedback included a comment from Mike Tweddle, Shakespeare Schools’ Festival
producer: ‘Brilliant, infectious...the magic was brilliantly executed from start to finish!
A wonderful finale to the evening!’ The girls went on to perform their piece twice in
the Nightingale Hall for students, staff, friends and family.
As You Like It
Clare College, Cambridge, one of our academy
partners, treated six Year 10 students to an exciting two
day residential early in the Autumn term. Greeted by a
large group of student volunteers, we were initially given
a tour of the College and surrounding city both on foot
and by punt on the river Cam. The days were packed
with a host of brilliant opportunities including a
‘Fresher’s Week Challenge’ and an enthralling lecture
on Chaucer. However, we especially loved being given
our own rooms to stay in! We were spellbound by the
life of the university, something which we all now aspire
to as the next step on our academic journey.
Debate MateI recently joined the Debate club and
seeing world-class debaters in action at
the Debate Mate London schools’ launch
at the Royal Geographical Society was
really exciting. Omolara Akinnawonu 8A
gave an impassioned speech during the
floor debate topic of ‘Should corporal
punishment be introduced into schools?’
Not surprisingly the vote was against the
motion!
The Debate Club is for students in Years
8 and 9. The weekly training with a
university student has given me
confidence to speak out loud
and we have our first
competition in January.
Atiyyah Mulla 8N
AmbassadorsSummit
I went to the
‘Save the Children’
Ambassadors summit at
Islington Town Hall to look at
the issue of stereotyping of young
people in London.
Speeches told us about common ways of stereotyping and there
was also a film put together by the ambassadors of the public giving
their opinions about stereotyping and young people. Heated table
discussions were held about what we could do to prevent stereotyping. I
presented our best idea to the audience involving children in police training
and the public acting as secret shoppers. My favourite thing about the event
was that the ambassadors presenting were children of all different ages and
cultures, not adults – breaking a stereotype!Khadija Patel 7L
January Review 2012 January Review 2012
C l a p t o n ’ s G o t T a l e n t
Step into
Dance
Thank you for the music
Dance students in Years 7 to
10 presented three high
standard dance pieces based
on observations of school life
at the Royal Academy of
Dance contemporary
showcase at Mulberry school
for Girls on 6th December. The
pieces were created by the
Step into dance group and
Clapton's Dance Passion
Group.
“Absolutely blown away” was the reaction as the crowd
left after the first Clapton’s Got Talent show in
November. The competition consisted of a variety of
twenty-four acts from illusionists to contemporary
dancers, violinists to vocalists who had been selected
from three gruelling nights of auditions in October.
These talented performers had been to countless
rehearsals so that they got it right on the night.
The performers were cheered on by their local
community of parents, friends and teachers. The
judging panel included former student Rashmika
Torchia, now studying Drama at RADA and Susie
McKenna, Creative Director of the Hackney Empire.
The act that walked away with first prize was Milly Croft
9L, wowing the audience with magic tricks. Apart from
the three winning students, a further three scholarships
were awarded by Anna Fiorentini to her Theatre and
Film School which runs classes at Clapton. The sell-
out show raised over £1,500 for the academy’s
extra-curricular activities.
Malu & Lily
Prize
Giving
Current sixth former, Lilian Servante, is expanding two
contrasting sides of her life, focusing on her A level
studies and at the same time pursuing her passion in
music with her sister, ex-Clapton student Amelia
Kirkland. The duo go under the name of Malu and Lily.
After two years of exploring social media and
networking, they now have over a quarter of a million
YouTube hits and thousands of regular viewers. They
began covering well-known songs, from JLS to Elvis
Presley, and now also write and release their own
original material. The Hackney sisters are taking it one
step further by getting to the semi-finals in a national
music competition, Open Mic UK, and even appeared
as guest performers at our very own Clapton’s Got
Talent. Keep up with Malu and Lily’s endeavours at
www.youtube.com/MaluAndLily, or speak to them
directly at www.facebook.com/MaluAndLily and
www.twitter.com/MaluAndLily � or of course stop Lily
in the corridor between lessons�(but don’t be late).
Clapton Girls’ Academy held its first
Prize Giving evening on 19th October
to recognise our top students from
2011 in awards such as GCSE, AS
and A2 achievement, Student of the
Year and sports awards. It was great
to see students who left in the summer
return from university to receive their
awards, as well as hear about our
students’ individual successes. Well
done to all our prize winners – you are
great role models for others.
We Be Heroes‘We Be Heroes’, Clapton Girls’ Academy dance
group, boogied their way to a first place victory in
the London regional heat of the United Dance
Organisation's Schools’ Street Dance
Competition on 18th November.
Over fifteen talented schools from London and
the South East provided fierce competition but
they were no match for the troupe, led and
choreographed by talented Sixth Former Sophie
Jemeljanova, who put them through their paces
in rehearsals for many weeks. They walked
away with certificates, medals and an enormous
trophy.
The final competition performances on 3rd
December at the Winter Gardens Opera House
in Blackpool were applauded by an audience of
2,000 people. We Be Heroes were up against
thirty of the best dance groups in their age range
in the UK.
Amanosi Bossey 7P, the youngest member of
the team said; 'I was over the moon to win the
London heat and it felt incredible on stage in
Blackpool in front of so many people.'
See more photos of the show on:http://www.clapton.hackney.sch.uk/cp/extended_schools/clapton_extra/clapton_s_got_talent_2011
To see all the award winners visithttp://www.clapton.hackney.sch.uk/cp/our_school/awards/prizegiving_2011
Fantastic end of term Abba extravaganza
See more photos of the concert on: http://www.clapton.hackney.sch.uk/cp/extended_schools/clapton_extra/abba_concert_2011
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