Nurses from Vaccinations UK attended school on Friday, 18 October to administer the  Flu nasal spray, OR the non-gelatine IM Flu vaccin to KS3 and KS4 students.

Flu can be a very unpleasant illness causing fever, stuffy nose, dry cough, sore throat, aching muscles and joints, and extreme tiredness. This can last several days or more. Vaccines help protect children from what can be very nasty illnesses. They can help avoid disruption to education and having to miss out on the things children enjoy. They also reduce the spread of flu to others, and in turn help to protect families.

The recommendation is for an annual flu vaccination as the virus changes every year. The vaccine is administered as a nasal spray and is absorbed quickly in the nose. There are minimal side effects of the vaccine such as runny or blocked nose, headache, general tiredness, which are much better than developing full-blown flu and its complications.

The next session is planned for Tuesday, 26 November for a 'mop up' session.

On Monday, 21 October our year 12s had the privilege of hearing from one of our alumni, Puneet Bansal, who is currently in her final year studying Economic at Bristol University. 

Puneet Bansal: “After I published my research paper on period poverty, I was selected to present the research at the Institute of Development Studies conference entitled 'Poverty Reduction: Rethinking Policy and Practice.' This was such a fantastic opportunity because I was the youngest presenter and I think they were surprised to find out that I was an undergraduate! There was a Development Economics professor from Bristol who got in touch with me later as he was impressed. We met for coffee and discussed careers and his research.

I interned in Bali for all of June working on an incredible consultancy project! I helped support local businesses in Bali, from issues related to reducing plastic usage in Indonesia to devising strategies to work with local schools and universities. I lived with a homestay family who were so lovely and I had such a culturally immersive experience.”

I am now heading into my final year of my undergraduate studies and I am thinking of applying for a Masters; my possible choices include:

1) LSE: MSc Development Management

2) LSE: MSc Health and International Development

3) King's College London: MSc Emerging Economies and International Development

It was a pleasure to visit my old school and see the familiar faces of the teachers who supported my education.  It was also nice to spend time with the Year 12 and 13 students as I remember very well my own time in school and the benefits I earned from hearing the stories of alumni.

On Friday, 04 of October, Year 13 students spent the entire day preparing for their Post 18 destinations by focusing on university and apprenticeship applications.

This involved receiving some in-depth feedback on their personal statements and fine-tuning their university choices to ensure they are in line with predicted grades.

The School is thrilled to continue its long-standing relationship with Peter Rawling, a PiXL Club expert who uses his years of experience to offer bespoke advice and interview preparation to early applicants for Medicine, Veterinary Science, Dentistry and Oxbridge.  This year, Peter was particularly impressed by the calibre of our students and the progress they had made with their personal statements and wider reading.

All students finished the day feeling positive and optimistic about their future prospects, reporting they now felt more confident as university applicants. One student said “On behalf of the Year 13s, thank you for your support during AMD. We truly appreciate the advice and time you dedicated to us.”

H Naqvi [Head of Sixth Form]

Mr Fakouri and Sam took us to visit the National Archives. When we arrived, we were greeted by one of the lovely curators. We learnt about famous black people who had contributed a lot to society. For example, we learnt about Hezikiah Moscow who was an up and coming boxer. He was faced with racism and then went missing. He was never found and there are no clues to his whereabouts. We saw documents and pictures of him from more than 100 years ago. We also saw census entries from 1911. The workshop was very interesting and made me want to know more. On our tables, we had a designated person we had to learn about through texts and photographs. I feel as if this activity has improved my inference skills and my knowledge of the black community in an engaging and enjoyable way.

Danvir Singh [8G]

I am very grateful for the free gym we are able to use in our spare time. You can finish your lessons and then just go to the gym on the school site. This freedom has allowed me to progress in my physical well-being and reduce my stress levels. The school gym provides access to specific facilities and equipment tailored for younger people, which can be beneficial for those who are just starting their fitness journey. The friendly and supportive environment allows you to achieve your goals without fear. I would definitely recommend my peers to take advantage of this beneficial opportunity as it fosters a growth in our cognitive performance, which in turn enhances our academic capabilities.

Angelina Tihhomirova [12F]

All Sixth Form students are able to use the school gym on their half days and through the gym, a small community has been created. This has fostered lots of support between students on how to get the best work out and how to make the best use of the equipment. It is really important to us as Sixth Formers that the school has provided the induction and supervision but has allowed us all to work on our fitness goals. The gym allows students to not just better their physical health but also improve their mental health. 

Ben Rixon [12A]

Students from our Year 10 GCSE Geography classes spent the day in Hengistbury Head on Thursday and Friday. They had the opportunity to put everything we have taught them in class, finally in action outside! They all had a great day measuring the beach width and longshore drift, ready to prepare them for their paper 3 examination next year. This year we had the opportunity to see the coastal management being repaired / restored. They found this fascinating, and were able to see how large rock boulders are transported from one side of the beach to another. They all enjoyed themselves, and were happy that it was a lovely sunny day!