Murder on the Nile
On Friday, 24 March the Year 11 GCSE Drama class went to see Murder on the Nile at The Questors Theatre in Ealing Broadway. It was an exciting production, full of suspense and intrigue. None of us guessed who the murderer was! It was great to see the staging and character development. Thank you to Miss Gould for organising this opportunity.
On Friday, 24 March students and staff from the Centre for the Deaf went on a trip to Shakespeare's Globe. They were treated with a celebrity workshop from BSL consultant and actor Nabeel Islam and further workshops from 'Go Live'. The students had a great time and were able to watch a BSL supported performance of 'The Tempest'.
Camera crews were present, and our students were a credit to the School, not complaining once despite the frequent and appropriately dramatic downpours.
"The opportunity for the Centre students to witness a performance of The Tempest with captions and British sign language was wonderful. We took part in exercises that tested our drama skills and also teaching us about Shakespeare's globe's past. It was amazing to see how they were able to have the interpreters sign on stage while the actors performed, and the show was excellent. Sadly, it began to rain severely as we headed home, and we had to hurry." Danish Hakim [13D]
“We went Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and it was really cool, but we did lots of walking and the weather kept changing.
First we walked to Osterley train station then we got a train then we got another one then we walked then we stopped at Greggs. Then FINALLY we arrived then we went inside then we did two workshops and met a famous person called Nadeem
He was giving us quizzes and was so funny. He told us the story of what happened in the story and told us about the characters.
Then we went to another workshop we were acting and freeze framing - it was really cool! Then we meet this person who told us what happen to the Shakespeare Theatre in the olden times. He told us lots of interesting things. Then FINALLY it was lunchtime and I was hungry.
After lunch, it was time to watch 'The Tempest'. It was funny and a bit romantic and I didn't like it, but it was funny. There was so many people in it. When it finished, the weather was proper raining heavily, I was all soaked and yeah the trip was fun.” - Damanpreet Saghal [9O]
RE Super Learning Day
My experience at the Laxmi Narayan Temple was really incredible. I learnt about all about Hindu faiths and beliefs, like karma and reincarnation. As we got there, we had to take our shoes off and enter the main prayer hall. There was one really important rule and that was not to face away from the 10 Gods [which were statues that they had breathed life into] that were located at the front of the prayer hall. They wore bright, decorative clothes, which we were told, were handmade for them, and they wore them for three weeks and then got new outfits.
We had the chance to do a Q and A about Hindus and I learnt that they believe that if you die God will give you another life. Then, we stood up for a prayer called Arti. We also had to keep our hands together. After this we received some holy food and drinks that had been blessed by the Gods. It was fascinating learning about another religion and their belief systems and how it influenced their day-to-day lives.
Takdeer Khurana [7G]
Before my visit to GSK, I was not sure what to expect, as I had little knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry. During the course of the day we learnt that GSK doesn’t only specialise in developing new treatments and distributing medication to hospitals, they also play a part in creating innovative ways to increase productivity within the pharmaceutical industry.
During the day we were able to do a practice a mock interview. This allowed us to implement the skills we had learnt in previous workshops by using the STAR technique to answer the questions set. My confidence levels regarding performing interviews have improved significantly as a result.
As well as taking part in mock interviews, I was able to learn about different innovations that they have at GSK, such as using artificial intelligence to conduct research and development for long-lasting medication and to increase the overall efficiency of creating their products.
It was difficult to move away from the grandeur of the building whilst on a tour of GSK. Employee welfare was at the heart of GSK’s core values, which was really nice to see. They had a range of facilities on site, including a supermarket and a hair salon to increase motivation. I look forward to more experiences like this one. It has really motivated me to work hard, so that I too can secure a job in an organisation that works so hard to bring together different functional areas to reach their common goal.
Serina Ahmed [12H]
The trip to IBM was an enriching experience for T-level Management and Administration students in Year 12. We got the opportunity to find out more about the work of IBM, one of the biggest technology companies in the UK, whilst also improving our employability skills.
The aim of the day was to interview students for placements at IBM. This was a valuable experience as it taught us interview skills, making us work ready. We had learnt about the STAR method in previous work ready sessions, so this was a nice opportunity to apply what we had learnt. We really benefited from being interviewed in the workplace, for some of us this was our first ever interview, so naturally it was both a daunting but insightful day.
As part of the day we looked at some of the work carried out by IBM. IBM is focusing on AI and has completed projects such as the unmanned boat. A boat can be controlled by AI to explore the ocean, an easier, efficient and modern way to gather information about the ocean. As part of our tour we saw a robot dog. The dog is programmed to walk around the building and detect problems or issues in machines. It is also used to make data gathering easier using thermal imaging, LiDAR or 3D scanning for tasks such as digital twin creation. Seeing such advance technology opened our minds in regard to what technology can do and how it is used to help us in our everyday life.
Manveen Bedi [12C]
Heston Community School celebrated and showcased the strengths of our wonderful musicians in a Spring Concert on Tuesday, 21 March.
The vocalists and instrumentalists have dedicated enormous time and energy to preparing this show and it looked set to uplift the audience!
Matilda [9P] said, “It is fun meeting new people as part of the choir. We are like a community inside the wider school community.”
Toby [9Y] added, ”There is real variety in this concert. We have all been working on the visual aspects of our performance and the choir made quite a different entrance at the start of the show. We also had a song sung in Tagalog by a student with Filipino heritage, which was exciting.”
Harman [9W] said, “We were trying to surprise the audience. We wanted the songs to be fun and high energy.”
The audience were treated to a real range of genres at the concert, from the up-tempo pop of Rick Astley to the rebellious rock of Pink Floyd and the sublime blues-jazz of Nina Simone.
There were solo performances, two school bands, individual instrumentalists and of course the choir!
This amazing event has taken tremendous amounts of dedication, confidence and team-work from the students, our Head of Music, Mr Loseto and our Graduate Music Assistant, Mr Andriulo.
Meeting with Lord Haskel, was an informative, interesting experience, which introduced me to a glimpse of a life as a Lord, and what impact the House of Lords really has on our society. Whilst engaged in a presentation by Lord Haskel, we learnt about who the Lords are, what they do and the difference and similarities between the House of Lords and the House of Commons. We were educated on the history of the House of Lords, and how the current House of Lords impacts our society. I found it constructive, and intriguing how influential and significant the Lords are on the public and the Government. Lastly, Lord Haskel helpfully gave feedback on all our questions, from all topics, in detail, as well as delivering advice on how to pursue a role as a Lord. After this eye-opening experience, I agree with Lord Haskel that politics should have a more important aspect in young people’s education, and that we should encourage young people to seek involvement in politics.
Prem Ghatora [9R]
My experience with Lord Haskel's visit taught me a lot about politics. There was a lot more to it than I had expected. Lord Haskel was very descriptive with any questions that we asked and answered them thoroughly. He made a very valid point during the visit; he had mentioned children in politics. He had said that since a lot of politics are based around education, more children should be interested in this field, as they can speak for their fellow students.
Overall, it was a delightful experience, and I am glad to have had the chance to be a part of it.
Avneet Virdee [9B]
On Tuesday, 21 March, as part of Super Learning Day revision activities for English, Year 11 watched a performance of ‘An Inspector Calls’ by Drama Impact. This was followed by a workshop with the actors, in which students bravely took on key roles and performed part of the play.
The ‘An Inspector Calls’ production was an interactive and immersive experience. I really enjoyed seeing the story play out before me, and watching members of the year group have fun whilst acting out the play. The actors provided an entertaining yet educational production and as a result, our understanding of the play was enriched.
Sara Daci [11W]
I am thrilled to report that, as Year 13 BTEC Level 3 Applied Science students, we recently had the chance to examine a fictitious murder scene. We were able to test our scientific knowledge in an exciting and instructive encounter. We all had a terrific time cooperating to solve the crime, from gathering evidence to having our individual CSI roles.
First, we wore our PPE which included wearing a coverall, then we cordoned off the crime scene and then took photographs and measurements. After this process, we gathered evidence with minimal cross-contamination to improve the integrity of the evidence so that the evidence can help highlight what happened during the crime. This evidence would also be strong in Court when trying to support an argument.
We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves while studying the scene, and we learned vital skills that will help us in our future employment. All in all, it was a wonderful event that we will all cherish for a long time.
Blazhe Ivchev 13B and Palvin Fernandes 13B
On Friday 10th March, Year 11 students watched a performance of ‘Macbeth’ by Questors Theatre.
“The performance was incredible, we were able to see the story of ‘Macbeth’ in full and learn whilst being immersed in an amazing performance. The actors used shadows to portray certain scenes, like the hallucination of Banquo’s ghost, causing all of the audience to be mesmerised.” Reia, 11Y
“The ‘Macbeth’ production evoked a myriad of emotions. It was not only entertaining but also very educational and helped give a great visual representation of ‘Macbeth’ using the real text – which made me feel like I was a Jacobean watching it at the time! In terms of entertainment, the bright lights, props and backdrop was very aesthetically appealing, setting the scene for each act.” Sehraj, 11B
“I really enjoyed the production! The actors worked so well and we could definitely see their hard work through the personas, props and atmosphere. It was a fun experience to know the lines just as the actors were reciting them.” Iram, 11B
School Activities – 15 - 16 March
On 15 and 16, Heston Community School continued to support our students with online learning and some on-site lessons.
Sixth formers worked on revision and coursework. Asad [12C] told us, “As part of my IT Coursework, I am revising cyber-security and examining the pros and cons of different networks.”
Serena, a Year 12 Business BTEC student said, “We are learning about quality management and how to do different checks to ensure organisations are working to standard.”
Anna [12B], is a Science T level student informed us, "I was busy finishing off my Forensic report for Criminology. We investigated a mock crime scene last week.”
Year 11 students came in to prepare for GCSE examinations. Smriti [11G]said, “We are doing a whole past paper for Maths as a group, looking at a range of possible questions that might come up in our mock this afternoon. Extra help is always good!”
Over in the English area, Arshil [11R] said, ”We have practised language analysis and how to apply it to our essays today.” His classmate Amna [11Y] added, “We have 34 school days left before the real exams start, so it is important to revise.”
Year 7 enjoyed PE lessons, History, Drop Everything and read, and a PSHE lesson about bullying.
Anusha [7R] told us, “We have looked at a video about different types of bullying and done pair work on summing up the issues.”
Karolis [7R] added, “We discussed different ways of dealing with different types of bullying.”
Kacper [7P] said, "In History, we have been learning about The Black Death, how many people were killed and how it affected Europe.”
In the Sports Hall, Malak [7G] said, “I like the teamwork, today we have been shown how to score.”
Outside on the courts, Ilyas [7B] said, "The boys were playing a whole game after recapping, scoring, passing and defending”.
It was great to hear so much positivity from the students.
Both Business and Science T Level students took part in workplace workshop on the 08 March. The workshop was run by Spark!, a local charity that helps schools to engage with industry, and shows that students can get an understanding of the different career paths out there in industry. The workshop was an interactive session, that was both fun and informative. We were put into groups and had to discuss what we think is professional and unprofessional within the workplace. The discussion was based on examples, which gave us a practical insight into how we should behave when we carry out our industry placements. We also carried out some interview practice, focusing in particular on the STAR technique. I fully recommend T Levels to future sixth-formers; it prepares you for the workplace by developing our soft skills as well as giving you a good academic grounding.
Wasi Syed [12F] [T-Level Management & Administration]
