LGS Headlines 30 September 2013

From the Headteacher

Dear Parents

Welcome to the first full edition of LGS Headlines for the new academic year. The newsletter is produced at the end of every month; in addition to routine reminder and important news, we aim to give you an overview of the wide range of activities taking place in and out of lessons at Langley Grammar School. This year, I am delighted that students will be taking a much greater lead in the compilation of the newsletter, as explained further on in this edition. The first four weeks of term have been particularly busy, with the first of two Open Evenings, information evenings for parents, and Languages Day representing just some of the activities and events. Our new students in Year 7 are setting in very well, together with the new joiners to the Sixth Form. In the student-compiled section of this newsletter you can read articles which focus on how students have found the transition into Year 7, 10 and 12.

We are delighted that our Artsmark accreditation has just been re-awarded – this time at the prestigious Gold level. Gaining Artsmark Gold is a recognition of the increasingly important part that the creative arts play in the life of the school. Please read the article later in the newsletter for more information. With best wishes John Constable Headteacher

Langley Grammar School Reddington Drive Langley Berkshire SL3 7QS

01753 598300

school@lgs.slough.sch.uk www.lgs.slough.sch.uk

Changes to Headlines.......

We now have a developing student News Team, led by Mr Aplin who is taking on the role of News Manager. The aim is to create a team of students who will report on school events and activities, and write articles for the school website and Headlines. In addition, Miss Curtlin is working to develop the skills of our student photographers, who will work with the reporters to photograph school events. As well as providing a news service to communicate what is going on in the school, we hope the students will develop and sharpen their own skills as reporters and photographers. The last ten pages of this newsletter have been produced by the student news team and we hope you will enjoy the articles they have written. Over the course of the next few editions we will be working on developing the content, format and style of the newsletter to really communicate the breadth of activities at Langley Grammar School.

Mr J Constable – Headteacher

Key dates for October

Wed 2 Oct Open Evening, 5.00 – 8.00pm

Thu 3 Oct School starts at 9.30am

Thu 3 Oct Yr 10 Raising Achievement parents’ information evening

Fri 11 Oct Open Morning, 9.00 – 11.00am

Thu 17 Oct Open Morning, 9.00 – 11.00am

Fri 18 Oct Yr 11 Geography field study visit

Tue 22 Oct Yr 13 PTC, 3.30 – 6.30pm

Wed 23 Oct Piano Day

Wed 23 Oct KS4 visit to Paris (until 27 Oct)

Mon 28 Oct HALF TERM WEEK

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LGS Headlines 4 September 2013

Artsmark Gold

Artsmark is Arts Council England’s flagship programme to enable schools and other organisations to evaluate, strengthen and celebrate their arts and cultural provision. It is delivered by Trinity College London with ten regional Bridge organisations driving participation. Artsmark is nationally recognised as demonstrating excellence in arts and cultural provision; it identifies a school offering a well planned, quality arts education that supports the cultural development of all students Langley Grammar School was awarded the basic Artsmark Award in 2009, and the designation lasts for four years. The re-accreditation process was led by Mr Nolan, Curriculum Director for Creative Arts, PE and Sport, and involved the submission of a very detailed account of our provision, and a visit by a validator from Trinity College. In order to qualify for Artsmark Gold, the school is required to offer a over a comprehensive arts curriculum in Key Stage 3, a range of arts qualifications in Key Stage 4 and the Sixth Form, and a large number of regular extra-curricular arts clubs. The arts-based House competitions such as House Music and Drama are also a key part of this provision, enabling a significant number of students to take part. One key aspect of the provision is that at this level is that there has to be involvement in arts-based activities across the curriculum and not just in music, art and drama lessons – this Award really is recognition of a whole-school commitment to the value of creative arts. In her report, the validator commented:

“Your school is passionate about the arts and sees it as part of its key strategy for raising aspirations, widening horizons and developing the whole pupil. Your students see and value this highly. You have met the criteria to enable me to recommend you for Artsmark Gold.”

During the validation visit, the validator met with a number of students; she was particularly impressed with the following comments from students in response to some of her questions:

"Yes, the arts are valued in our school, and they are just as equal as all other academic subjects. This is because our school feels that arts are very important."

"I really feel that the arts are valued highly at Langley Grammar School. We have been

presented with an outstanding number of opportunities both curricular and extra-curricular. If it wasn't for all these opportunities, I would be a very shy and unconfident person and would

most likely be underachieving academically."

Congratulations to all staff and students across the School who supported the Artsmark application, and particular thanks to Mr Nolan for his hard work in writing the application.

Mr J Constable – Headteacher

.

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LGS Headlines 4 September 2013

Sixth Form prefect team Our prefect team for 2013-14 is now established. Prefects play a very significant part in the life of the school, assisting the staff and providing support to other students in a variety of ways. The prefect teams for each year group are attached to individual forms where they help with form activities and assist with the organisation of parents’ evening. We wish all our prefects well as they take up their roles.

Head Boy / Girl Anish Puri Nawal Raza-Malik

Deputy Head Boy /Head Girl Andrew Bennett Priya Agarwal

David Moore Anika Khosla

Senior Prefect Year 10 / 11 Harveer Dhanda Priya Khosla

Senior Prefect Year 9 Sam Kempster Neesha Sharma

Senior Prefect Year 8 Sagar Ghelani Prabeen Aujla

Senior Prefect Year 7 Connor Higgs Jessica Conlon

Senior Prefect: New Joiners

Hadiya Khan

Senior Prefect: Library Hamzah Khan Priyanka Sajeevkumar

Prefects: Years 10/11 Suresh Gangarh Jasmine Dhaliwal

Manish Gohil Avneet Dhandwar

Tushar Jain Swasti Garg

Niraj Wadher Aisha Williams

Prefects: Year 9 Adam Chan Sana Bashir

Dhanraj Chohan Govina Basra

Aman Sharad Lisa Williamson

Arvind Singal Freya Doshi

Prefects: Year 8 Freddie Alcock Ajweria Hussain

Prashant Chadha Priya Knight

Darsh Gadher Safia Nazir

Pavan Marwaha Pallavi Randhawa

Prefects: Year 7 Vishal Auluck Kiah Gumbs

Charandeep Bambra Shallal Qureshi

Henry Goddard Sophie Schofield

Gopishanth

Suthanthiran

Alisha Syal

Prefect: Library Aravinthen Rajkumar Navneet Dhaliwal

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LGS Headlines 4 September 2013

Changes to attendance regulations

Term Time Holiday

The attendance regulations previously permitted headteachers to grant exceptional leave of absence for the purpose of a family holiday during term time, although most schools in Slough have not done this for some time. Amendments to the regulations remove reference to family holidays and extended leave, so this means no schools may grant leave of absence for family holidays in future. If students are taken out of school for the purpose of family holidays, this will automatically be counted as unauthorised absence. Leave of absence for other extenuating circumstances is still permitted but should only be used in the most exceptional circumstances. Schools should consider requests on a case by case basis, but if you require any advice about what could be considered as exceptional, please contact the Attendance Service. Schools are able to issue warnings which can, if ignored, eventually lead to fines for both parents.

1. Parents will now be issued with a warning about absence if a student has accumulated 5 days (10 sessions) of any kind of absence.

2. Parents will be issued with a Fixed Penalty warning if a student reaches 10 days (20 sessions) unauthorised absence in a 12 week period.

3. For unauthorised holiday leave no warning is required prior to a fine being issued.

Please note that parents must confirm the reason for any absence in writing upon their son or daughter’s return to school. Until this has happened, absence will remain unauthorised. To view our complete policy, please refer to the school website at www.lgs.slough.sch.uk

Mrs R Smith – Deputy Headteacher

Applications for Year 7 entry - Sept 2014

Parents intending to apply for entry to the school in Year 7 for September 2014 are reminded that the Common Application Form must be submitted to your home local authority by 31 October 2013. Full details of the School’s admissions arrangements can be found on the school website along with the formal admissions policy. We would like to draw parents’ attention to the Musical Aptitude criteria, through which we will allocate up to 10% of the available places. The Musical Aptitude criteria allows a small number of students with musical potential to be admitted to the school, who might not otherwise have done so because of the number of applicants with very high 11+ scores. For further information about admissions, please contact the Admissions Officer or consult the school website.

Mr P Adams – Assistant Headteacher

Sports results

The following matches were played in the period up to Friday 26 September

Mr D Close Subject Leader for PE & Sport

Football Y7 vs Langley Academy Yr 8 vs Wexham Yr 9 vs Burnham Grammar Yr9 vs Beechwood Yr 10 vs St Bernard’s Yr 11 vs Slough & Eton First XI vs Dr Challoners

Lost 7-1 Won 4-2 Lost 6-0 Won 8-0 Lost 6-1 Lost 3-1 Lost 2-0

Rugby Yr 7 Rugby vs Beechwood Yr 8/9 Rugby vs Beechwood Yr 10 Rugby vs Claires Court

Drew 20-20 Lost 28-24 Lost 50-0

Basketball U16 Girls Basketball vs JMA

Won 26-13

Netball Yr 7 vs Westgate Yr 8 vs Westgate Yr 9 vs St Josephs Yr 9 vs Langley Academy Yr 10 vs St Josephs & Yr 10 vs Langley Academy Yr 11 vs St Josephs Yr 11 vs Langley Academy

Won 22-1 Drew 4-4 Won 12-3 Won 7-1 Won 11-8 Lost 4-14 Won 6-1 Won 12-1

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LGS Headlines 4 September 2013

LGS Headlines

Introducing our News Team…

September 2013

This academic year, there is a new student media team in place and they will be

responsible for bringing the news to YOU! Working alongside Mr Aplin (News TeamManager) and Ms Curtlin (Photography Manager), they will be interviewing, writing and

editing several articles across the academic year.

These will be about everything that happens in LGS, ranging from trips, house

competitions, school events and a subject ‘In The Spotlight’ profile each month - this

edition features Modern Foreign Languages. The students are working hard on thepublication and I do hope you will enjoy what they have put together.

Over the next few editions we will be working on house style and the ‘look’ of the newssections, to integrate the student sections with the main part of the newsletter.

Mr M Aplin

Page 6 of 14

LGS Headlines

Open Evening

Open Evening

On Tuesday 24 September LGS hosted its first

Open Evening for this academic year. Many

parents and visitors alike were impressed by the

high standard of work on display as well asamazing performances and demonstrations by

none other than our very own volunteers of LGS

students and teachers! This spread, with quotes

from visiting families, is just a glimpse of what

happened on the night...

‘…the interaction between the potential new

children and your students is just fantastic…you

are all extremely polite.’

‘…comparing Langley Grammar to other

secondary schools, it seems here at Langley you

really have that sense of community and

support…’

This first Open Evening was a huge success! A

considerable amount of that success was down

to the enthusiastic and positive attitudes of the

teachers and especially the students who

supported our School by helping various

departments and guiding visitors around the

site. A huge thank-you goes out to them!

There is another Open evening on Wednesday 2

October which we hope will be just assuccessful!

By Amber Dhoot 10H

Page 7 of 14

LGS Headlines

A time for transition..

It is a brand new start for the Year 7s who

have joined the school this term - and they

are all ready to face the challenges and

excitement that the year will offer them. It

has been a huge transition from primary

school and most likely a daunting experience,

but after settling in and meeting new people

they have been able to enjoy their first few

weeks at the school.

...into Year 7

‘It’s amazing how there are lots of

different subjects. Discovering how

to get around the school is one of

the challenges we have had.’

Neha 7K

With many different extra-curricular

activities on offer, the Year 7s will be able

to develop their skills by attending a wide

range of clubs.

We wish them every success in this brand

new start and adventure!

Vianca Shah (8K)

By Simran Dogra 11S & Bhavana Murikinati 11K

A few weeks ago, a new group of Year 7s

joined Langley Grammar School. We wanted

to catch up with the Year 7s to see how they

were getting on and how they like the school.

We decided to interview year 7 with some

questions.

Year 7 have just got used to the school and

where all of the buildings are. They seemed

so confident, that some of the Year 7 students

signed up to be tour guides at Open Evenings

for parents, giving up a few hours after school

to share what they knew about Langley

Grammar School to prospective parents.

The newcomers are able to attend their

classes without getting lost now they are used

to how the school works. “I am now used to

the school and I don’t get lost like I did

before’’ commented Esha Verma, a student in

7S. Esha was one of the many Year 7 students

who volunteered their time after school to

help out in Open Evening.

The students are already making strong

friendships whilst settling in to year 7 and

hopefully they will last a long time in years

yet to come…

“I think homework levels are fine

and homework isn’t a problem for

me’’

Esha Verma 7S.

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LGS Headlines

A time for transition.....into Year 7

By Simran Dogra 11S & Bhavana Murikinati 11K

“I think the amount of homework we get

is OK but sometimes we get loads and

pressurises me a little bit.....’’

Shereen Ahmed 7S.

“ Sometimes homework is ok and

sometimes we get a lot, I think that it’s

good we got a lot of homework because it

is a good way of revising what you have

done in class’’

This year’s Year 7 students are certainly very

outgoing as they take every opportunity

available to them, such as clubs and

responsibilities.

As well as this, students in year 7 have also

taken the opportunity to take on a

responsibility. Six students from each form

have been chosen to be a form captain, house

captain or year council representative after

grabbing the opportunity to take on one of

those roles.

Year 7 are settling in extremely nicely and

have made brilliant friendships. They allsupport each other as a big community here

in Langley Grammar School.

We wish Year 7 all the best for years to come

and hope they keep on grabbing every

opportunity that comes to them. We also

encourage them to keep on aiming high!

Jasmine Panesar 7S

Most of the girls enjoy PE/ Games too as a lot

of girls have joined Netball Club. The girls

had their first netball match on Thursday and

won by 20!

Year 7 also enjoy other lessons too. Most

children say that they enjoy Product Design,

Textiles, Food and Nutrition lessons because

they have never done anything like those

subjects before in Primary School.

Sarema says that she enjoys her language

lessons the most as she can learn a

different language that she has never

spoken before.

Page 9 of 14

LGS Headlines

The transition into Year 10 and the start of GCSE courses can be a very difficult time.

There are a lot more pressures upon students to perform and meet targets and

deadlines on time.

Some of the Year 10s have been sharing their opinions on this big hurdle and what they

think about the changes that they have faced during the first term of GCSEs.

...into Year 10

‘I'm hardly working with some of the

members of my form and this is incredibly difficult as I've spent the best

part of the last three years with them.’

Dayna Gill 10S

‘It is much harder, and your life really

does change completely when you have to focus a lot more on studies and

manage your time well!’

Pratyush Jain 10V

It is evident that there have been some big challenges that the Year 10 students have faced -

and changes to timetables and lesson groups has obviously proven to be difficult at first.

Despite the difficulties of getting used to switch from Key Stage 3 to GCSE, it is fair to say

that most people are pleased with the options that they have taken.

‘I am really happy with all my options so far - I can't imagine

myself not doing them. As weird as it sounds, I am looking

forward to the exams, as I want to take them in a positive

manner and get them out of the way.”

Pratyush Jain 10V

‘The biggest challenge for me personally has been coping with

the work and play balance; I have had to manage

extracurricular activities at the same time as doing work.

Also preparing for controlled assessments can be quite

stressful!’

Dayna Gill (10S)

A time for transition..

Hopefully all our Year 10 students have all settled in well and are now making the most of the

wide range of opportunities that are available to them as they progress through the school.

By Amrita Heer 10K

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LGS Headlines

A time for transition.....into Year 12

Moving from GCSE to A level is a massive jump and studies seem to be getting more intense.

Workloads increase, significance of studies intensifies and you have to start making important

decisions for your future. On top of all this, imagine having to switch schools! Being put in a whole

new working environment is not something everyone is used to. It’s a group of new people, new

teachers as well as surroundings you’re not so familiar with, and this can be a very difficult change.

In order to find out more, some of the LGS Headlines media team interviewed Tetteki Kofi from 6J and

Ethan Beer 6M who shared their experiences from their past school and how it felt like to come to

Langley Grammar for Sixth Form.

Tetteki Kofi, from Year 12, revealed to us that she felt like it was a massive jump to move from her

GCSEs to studying A levels because GCSEs didn’t really prepare you for what to expect. Also, she

transferred to Langley Grammar School from Windsor Girls’ School and admitted that changing to a

mixed school was different because it was a new experience for her. However, although she was new,

she said that it wasn’t going to stop her from getting stuck in to help the school straight away. This

year she has been elected as 6J’s charity representative, and also tried for the Sixth Form executive

committee. Another thing that Tettiki also stated was when she first joined she wanted to leave

because she missed her friends too much, but now she has settled in because she thought that all her

classmates and teachers were welcoming and very friendly.

We also discovered that Ethan Beer, another new Year 12, decided to pursue Music, Biology,

Chemistry and Drama and was part of the Drama Society. He said that all the teachers have been

extremely supportive of him, especially having skipped a year. Ethan who should be in Year 11 told us

that being a Sixth Former a year early was quite remarkable because he enjoyed the freedom that you

got, although the work load has been fairly large. When we asked him about extra-curricular activities

he also told us that he was in the orchestra playing the viola and was in the chamber group as well.

So there you have it. What it’s like to start in a brand new school. Just like Ethan and Tettiki most ofthe Year 12 students probably feel the same way to be starting this new experience, whether they

have been in Langley since Year 7 or whether they just started recently. This is a big change all the

same and they have a lot of things to be getting used to. We really do wish them all the best for the

future, and hope they have settled in just as well as Ethan and Tettiki and that they are lookingforward to a great year ahead.

By Simran Dogra 11S & Bhavana Murikinati 11K

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LGS Headlines

At the beginning of the summer holidays a group of 32 Sixth Form students embarked on the

adventure of a lifetime with Outlook Expeditions to Morocco. Nothing could have prepared them for

the rollercoaster journey to come, full of exciting new experiences, in a part of the world completely

unknown to them. They set out with three goals in mind. Firstly; to climb the highest mountain inNorth Africa, Mount Toubkal. Secondly, to work alongside locals in a community project; and finally

to get some rest and enjoy the beauty of Morocco.

The group was split into two teams; Team 1 was led by Mr Broz and Team 2 by Miss Moriarty, both

teams also accompanied by a leader from Outlook Expeditions. The two teams went their separate

ways after spending the first night together in a hostel in Marrakech; Team 1 did their project phase

first, while Team 2 tacked the mountain trek. The first challenge that presented itself was the

scorching heat which none of the students were used to! Team 2 - the group I was in - began the

climb to the mountain, a three day trek which comprised firstly of a walk to ‘base camp’. The next

two days were spent acclimatising to the heat and altitude and then finally reaching the peak. After

such an arduous three days, reaching the peak really raised morale and was a huge achievement for

everyone who made it! Sadly due to injuries two members of the team had to stay behind, but they

were there in spirit!

After that the group trekked to a nearby village that was in need of some irrigation work to sustain

their crop growth and ensure fresh water flowed to villages further down. Another 3 days was spent

travelling to and working in the villages and bonding with the community.

Finally, after all the hard work was over, the two groups reunited for some rest and relaxation at the

beautiful Cascades d'Ouzoud, where they got to enjoy the sunshine and food of Morocco. On the last

night they enjoyed haggling in the souks, relaxing in Hamam baths and sampling the street food.

Overall it proved to be an amazing, unforgettable experience to a beautiful country. We would like tothank the school and the staff for providing us with the opportunity.

Jasmine Dhaliwal Year 13

Year 12 Morocco

Expedition

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LGS Headlines

On Thursday 12 September, Langley's A2 English Literature students made their way to the RoyalNational Theatre in London to watch 'Othello'. The performance, which lasted 3 hours and 15minutes, was unique in that it was a modern adaptation that still featured entirely Shakespearianlanguage. The purpose of the visit was for the students to see for themselves how Shakespeare'splays are presented in a dramatic form, which would help them with the work they have beencompleting on 'King Lear' in lessons.

The play's main plot revolves around the character of Othello (played by Adrian Lester) who isrecently married to Desdemona (Olivia Vinall). Othello is given the role of leader for a militaryoperation to save Cyprus from the Turks. Iago (Rory Kinnear) is Othello's second, and wants to takerevenge on Othello because he has been replaced by the younger Cassio. Iago decides to takerevenge by convincing Othello that Desdemona is having an affair. It is this action which causes aturn for the worse, and there are harsh consequences for everyone involved in Iago's plot. Thethemes of revenge, jealousy, manipulation and pride are all touched upon within the play.

The use of special effects within the play was notable. 'Othello' featured quick set changes thatvaried from the outside of a London pub to a military base; the use of hazy smoke, white lightingand the rise and swell of music were effectively used throughout the play to highlight the dramatictension both on-stage and that which was to come. The use of modern props was a great way tomake Shakespeare accessible to the audience, but did not take away from the authenticity thatcame from his language.

One of my favourite scenes involved Iago successfully placing Othello into a jealousy which was soall-consuming that it sent him into a completely different psychological state, all in the space ofminutes. Othello then experiences an epileptic fit, and his subsequent emotional instability uponwaking up preceded his actions which saw Desdemona and other characters grievously affected.The stark, dingy surroundings featuring minimalist furniture all too clearly emphasised theclaustrophobic nature of the military base, and hammered home the removed and isolated natureof Othello's world. While the scene wasn't just metaphorically important but it was also compellingto view, and the audience watched on as elements of a psychological thriller began to be includedon top of the already doomed romantic tragedy.

The play was well-received by students and the teachers who visited. Reviews from journalistshave recently been posted online and they are also overwhelmingly positive: The Daily Telegraphand The Times have given this 'Othello' performance a 5 star rating. When the play ended, thecast received a rapturous applause. Many of the audience provided a standing ovation. If anything,the applause at the end showed just how well the director Nicholas Hytner had managed to createan interpretation of the classic 'Othello' that was, while modern and enjoyable to view,nonetheless thrilling, affecting, and devastating — just like Shakespeare intended.

Abdal Asif Year 13

Year 13

Othello Visit

Page 13 of 14

LGS Headlines

In the Spotlight.....

Modern Foreign Languages

Visits to France and Germany

During this academic year the department is

organising 3 visits to France or Germany. A

group of Year 10 students depart for Paris at the

end of October, Year 9 students will be visiting

Dieppe in March and Year 8 students will visit the

Rhineland in June. All visits combine language

learning with excursions to places of cultural

interest and feedback is always extremely

positive.

European Work ExperienceAll students studying AS or A2 French and German are

given the opportunity to spend a week in France and

Germany working in a variety of venues ranging from

kindergartens to hospitals. They are often surprised to

discover how much they understand and the whole

week not only improves their language skills but givesthem the confidence in their ability to function in a

non English speaking workplace. Given that France

and Germany are two of our biggest trading partners,

it is our hope that this confidence will be useful to

students in their future careers.

Latin Year 7 students are now starting to get to grips

with an ancient language. They are becomingfamiliar with lives of Caecilius and Metella,

pondering questions such as why Romans

tended to eat while lying on a couch and also

discovering that a large number of the more

sophisticated English words have their roots in

Latin.

Spanish & Mandarin Year 10 students now have the opportunity to study

these languages in ‘twilight time’ at the end of the

school day on Thursday. Nearly 30 students are

taking advantage of this opportunity to increase

their language learning. We have been very pleased

that a significant number of students are willing to

give up their time to broaden their horizons and

become familiar with two of the world's most

widely spoken languages.

By MFL Staff & Bhavana Murikinati 11K

Page 14 of 14

LGS Headlines

In the Spotlight.....

Modern Foreign Languages

Certificate in Bilingual Skills

Sixth form students who are fluent in a language

other than English have the opportunity to have

their skills recognised by following an enrichment

course leading to an examination set by theChartered Institute of Linguists. Students also

have to become familiar with the structure and

organisation of British public services such as

education and health, enabling them to interpret

for overseas visitors should the need arise.

Languages Day On Thursday 26 September we were delighted to

receive a visit from a team of Japanese teachers who

gave taster sessions in the language to younger

students in Years 7, 8 and 9.

It was also a pleasure to welcome back a former

parent, Mr Alawiye, who introduced some students to

Arabic.

Languages Week One of the main highlights of our year, Languages

week is a week to express our language, fun

activities and great food. Assemblies are held

with a "language" theme, often involving members

of staff revealing their competence in a language

other than English, helping students to realise

that languages are not just spoken in the 2006

block! Dining Room menus are adapted to give an

international flavour.

Languages ClubThe department operates lunchtime clubs in

French and German. They are run by our 2

language assistants, who are ably assisted by

Year 12 students.

Students having difficulty with any aspect of

language learning or who simply want to

practise the language are always welcome.

By MFL Staff & Bhavana Murikinati 11K