New Homework Timetable for Years 7, 8 and 9

This week we launched the new homework timetable for years 7, 8 and 9. This means that homework is now set on fixed days for children in these year groups - before there was some flexibility. We hope this supports our girls in managing their homework better and meeting their deadlines. We welcome your feedback about this initiative - it is a return to a previous approach.

Here is a reminder of key elements of the Homework Policy:

Implementation

 Guidelines:

Frequency

Types of homework
At Parliament Hill School homework could include:  

• conducting a survey/opinion poll and concluding their results;      
• investigating a problem and putting forward one or more written solutions;      
• preparing a first draft of writing or proofreading and editing a draft;      
• an interactive online task on Fronter;      
• preparing charts, graphs and presenting information in a variety of ways;      
• reading a newspaper or a book and summarising and evaluating what they have read and learnt; 
• recording an interview with someone, family or otherwise; 
• recording on tape a story, poem, written article, language vocabulary;      
• sketching buildings or objects;      
• structured preparation for a test or examination/completing practice examination papers; 
• visiting a local library or shop or place and recording their findings;     
• watching a television programme and producing written evidence which supports their learning; 
• or writing and practising an oral presentation to their peers and/or group of adults/staff

Careers: Nurses give lunchtime talk

On 23 March, ‘Inspire’ - a charity which brings education, business and young people together, arranged for nurses from the Royal Free Hospital to visit groups of Y10, 11 and 12 students at lunchtime in the library. 

The nurses introduced students to career opportunities in NHS nursing, described the entry requirements for nursing and ran activities to help students get an insight into the skills and qualities that might be needed in this career. 

The three nurses who visited described how they entered the profession and how their careers have progressed since they started. During a carousel of practical sessions, students received hands-on training in taking pulse and blood pressure readings, measuring body temperature and respiration rates. 

For further information about nursing careers please visit http://nursing.nhscareers.nhs.uk/

On Thursday 18th April 2013 Parliament Hill School hosted its very first GCSE Dance showcase, an opportunity for those in years 10 and 11 to share their work with friends, family, and teachers within the school.

The evening comprised of professional and well-rehearsed performances; Year 10 performed their GCSE Set Study 'Impulse' in small groups, ready for their upcoming assessment. Although nervous and anxious backstage, year 10 performed extraordinarily well on the night and delighted the audience when they graced the stage.

Year 11 students, who have miraculously completed their GCSE in just one year, performed an array of exciting, moving and thought provoking solo dances, ready for their moderation – the final part of their GCSE qualification. Each of the Year 11 solo dances were performed to perfection, and the audience reacted to their work accordingly.

Ms Russell and Ms Thorpe would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all KS4 GCSE Dancers on the success of the evening, and wish Year 11 GCSE Dancers the very best of luck in their moderation and theory paper which are fast approaching.Our next showcase will be the Summer Dance Show on Monday 8th July 2013.

For the last 6 weeks, the Year 7 Student Council have been completing an online competition to run Camden their way, tackling some of the biggest issues in the borough such as housing, crime and education.

On Monday 25th March, we attended a celebration event at Camden Town Hall, and met with Councillor Nasim Ali, Cabinet Member for Young People. Many schools, sixth form colleges and youth clubs took part across the borough, but Parliament Hill students won 2nd prize! We were awarded with a cheque for £125 and a special certificate.

During the day, we entered the Council Chambers to debate youth issues and share our ideas with members of the council. All Parliament Hill students took part in sharing our views.

Our Young apprentice

 PHS Director of Operations Cate Hart, E-Learning Coordinator Malc Wells and our own Administrative Apprentice Lianna Jones all attended a promotional event at The Grange Holborn Hotel last week to encourage businesses to take on an apprentice or offer work experience.

At the event, which was hosted by Inmidtown Business Improvement District (BID) and chaired by PHS governor Councillor Valerie Leach, Cate Hart spoke about having recruited an apprentice saying: “It’s brilliant. It’s the only way forward. I’m going to have more. These young people are our future. We are proud of Lianna and her supervisor Malc, as her work is exemplary. We are keen to equip young people with life-long skills. I am pleased that Camden LA use our example for bringing more apprentices on board.”

For more information on apprenticeship schemes visit : camden.gov.uk / apprenticeships or email: apprenticeships@ camden.gov.uk

Thank you to all those involved in giving us the opportunity at the Parli Parent Forum of hearing Camilla Bhatmanghelijd, founder and director of ‘Kids Company’ the organization which works therapeutically and practically with children and young people.  Ms Higgins introduced her as the most 'inspirational speaker' she has ever come across.  

Camila talked about scientific and psychological research on how the brain develops and how this reveals some of the reasons why teenagers behave the way they do.  She also highlighted how early childhood experience actually shapes the brain and how this can affect a person’s behaviour. Camila also offered strategies for living with teenagers in a question and answer session at the end of her talk.

To find out more about their work or to make a donation visit http://www.kidsco.org.uk/

Loan Tran
(Year 11 parent)

Shakespeare’s birthday celebrations

On Thursday we put on one of our regular Library events. This time it was a celebration of Shakespeare’s birthday – it was a little bit late (his birthday was on 23 April!) but better late than never! We decided to make Elizabethan-style ruffs. This is not nearly as easy as it sounds, and you can judge for yourselves how successful we were from the pictures.

Once the students had made their ruffs they then had to make up a Shakespearean insult by combining words from three different columns provided. Ask in the Library for this sheet of Shakespearean insults - try it for yourself – you’ll love it - the insults just roll off your tongue as if you were living right there in Shakespeare’s time! e.g. 'Thou puny onion-eyed minnow'

Ms Papathomas

Parli ‘junior sports leaders’ work with local primary students

Parli hosted this year’s Year 2 sports festival with our Year 10 sports and dance leaders leading the sessions. Students from class 2 at Gospel Oak and Fitzjohns primaries attended. They all took part in a mixture of activities including dance, trampolining and multi games. All the leaders did wonderful jobs and the staff from both primaries commented on how well each session was run. A fantastic day was had by all, congratulations to the Year 10 leaders on making it such a great event!

On Tuesday 30 April the Year 11 Dance Leadership Award students hosted a Primary School ‘Morning of Dance’ here at school. The girls had rehearsed short dances from a range of styles including Street Dance, Rock & Roll and Jazz, and planned fun and engaging sessions for the Year 5 students from Gospel Oak Primary School. The girls did a fantastic job and all of the students had an excellent morning. Dance teacher Ms Thorpe would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the following girls on successfully passing their Dance Leadership Award: Kate Tamfutu, Doruntina Krasniqi, Hoda El Deeb, Charlot te Pierce, Sadie Kelly, Rosa Mundy, Miriam Connors, Kalila Kitchen, Lauren Angrish, Fiona McDowell, Jasmine Benedict, Remy Campbell, Kiran Razak, Molly Middleditch.

On Wednesday 8th May, Year 9 students took part in the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) Final Event, competing for a £3,000 prize. For the last 8 weeks, students across the year group have been meeting with and supporting local charities that tackle issues affecting our community. Those students who gave fantastic in-class presentations about their chosen charity took part in the YPI Final, to a huge audience of students, parents, teachers, governors and charity representatives. The evening was opened by an insightful speech from last years’ winners, Sarah Khir and Sahra Mohamed, who explained how they have continued to work with their charity since winning in summer 2012. The evening also opened and closed with performances from GCSE music students who were showcasing their writing and performing talents.

There were 11 presentations, ranging from support for Kentish Town City Farm to the Royal National Institute for Blind People, and the judges struggled to make a final decision, as all the presentations represented such a high quality of students’ passion, creativity and confidence. Winners of the event, securing £3,000 additional funding for their charity, were the group presenting for the charity ‘Freedom From Torture’, which comprised of Rachel, Zohra, Maga and Cheyenne. Congratulations on a stunning and moving performance about the excellent work of this charity!   

Ms Morgan

To prepare year 10 for work experience week in July the Careers Department organised a day to help students get the most from their work placements. The day started with a theatre group showing girls what not to do and how students learnt to become better employers. Claire was shy and too quiet whilst Keiran was thoughtless and got himself into difficult situations. How would the duo learn from their mistakes and get a positive outcome ?

The students then went into workshops run by employers from DWP, Standard Chartered Bank, Lakehouse, Linklaters, Schroeders, Reed Smith, Nicoll Curtain, Excelian and Sales Force. The workshops helped students to learn how to present themselves at interviews and what to talk about. How to get the most out of work experience and deal with ‘ What ifs…’ such as the bus being late. These skills will be useful all their working lives and valuable lessons were learnt. Rebecca Sharpe said she felt inspired and had learnt how to behave in a more professional manner.

One employer,was heard to say that she had met several girls, already, who she would offer a job to straightaway.   Student Sarah Browne said, “It was a great day and really interesting. We were told to give our all in interviews. “ Sarah Mohammed said, “the volunteers were really friendly and it was nice to talk about the real world of work”.

As part of the Year 7 science curriculum, students in 7B were asked to create a project to explain something about the solar system that they had learnt during their science lessons. All of the students worked extremely hard over the Easter holidays and produced some fantastic and informative models, posters and presentations.

Ms Fulton

Telling the truth about youth: Write On national poetry competition

Earlier this year, the National Literacy Trust joined forces with the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) to provide teachers and librarians with a competition for students aged 11 to 16 to capture their creativity. The challenge was to write an original poem expressing their thoughts about perceptions of and attitudes towards young people in today’s society.

“What do you think about the way young people are viewed in today’s society? Do you get a fair deal? Now’s the time to have your say…”

The competition organisers were looking for a strong voice, sense of rhythm and a creative structure and layout. We had a good number of entries to the competition and nationally there were over 1,200 entries.

We are delighted to announce that we had two year 10 students- Asha and Maeve who were selected for the shortlist of entries from which the winner was chosen – an amazing achievement. The judges said they loved Asha’s poem and commented that the poem had a really mature use of internal rhyme. They said they also loved Maeve’s poem and commented that they really liked the playing around with particular words and language.  

Asha (pictured right) and Maeve were invited to attend the Write On celebration event at the Free Word Centre in central London and at this event they had the opportunity to take part in a performance masterclass from one of the Write On professional poets before performing their entry for the rest of the guests. They were presented with a certificate recognising their achievement. We would like to congratulate them on their achievement.    

There's the gossips, 
The gloss-lips,
The 'I am going to give you 
My hot tips'

There's the Nando eaters,
The late night tweeters,
The 'Don't get mud on  my new sneakers'.

There's the fan girl,
The tan girl,
The 'I will and I can' girl.

There's the poet,
The know-it ,
The ' Yeah that grass,  
I'll mow it'.

There's the Artist,
The Fastest,
The 'I have to revise for the mock test'.

We are not all the same 
So why judge us
by  the stereotype of our name?

(By Maeve)

Expectation: (Teenagers are expected to do well in school no matter what; people don't take into account other issues)  

It weighs heavy on our shoulders,
Our small developing shoulders already carrying so much,
We feel lower and lower with every touch.
No matter the circumstances,
We still do our best, forget the chances
We are the cat in a kennel full of dogs being told to do a trick  
Which is worse, take your pick
Why not help us with a load before the carrier breaks 
Before we break.
For they know not what they do,
With the expectation they have of me, of you  
Two plus two is only four,  
So why do you ask for more  
Just let me get off at the nearest station I no longer want to carry on with this exploration  
Because I'm not sure if I can take any more of
The responsibility, the expectation  

(By Asha) 

The Department for Culture Media and Sport

Dear Special Guest,

WOMEN’S BUSINESS COUNCIL

I want to take this opportunity of thanking you personally for the contribution you have given to the work of the Women’s Business Council and the publication of its report. 

Your personal contribution, together with the combined efforts of the Council as a whole have, of course, ended this phase of the work by culminating in what can only be described as a very credible report, the content of which has been duly acknowledged and welcomed by both Government and Business.

That is why I was very pleased to be able to support the recommendations by way of delivering the Government’s Response, and can assure you, as I did the wider audience at the very successful launch event, that it is certainly Government’s intent to work with business to help make this a reality for all women, and girls, who have the kind of aspirations that are currently only talked about.

It is vital for progress that we highlight the positive progress companies such as yours have made in this area. Your contribution provides a really useful tool for tackling barriers to wider implementation of the best practice outlined in your case study. We would welcome your support in encouraging companies that you trade with to sign up to the recommendations for business and submit further case studies.

I know my officials would also like me to express their thanks for your support of the Council’s work on this project, and I know the working relationship will continue through to implementation. Should you wish to contact the team to discuss further work, please call Michael Osei on 0207 211 6901 or email WBC@geo.gsi.gov.uk.

With this in mind, and the publication of the report being the beginning and not the end, I too look forward to a continued working relationship and, like you, will closely monitor success.

My very best wishes to you and your company for the future.

Rt Hon Maria Miller MP
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Minister for Women and Equalities
____________________________________________________________________

The letter above is of particular interest to the Parliament Hill School community because the school recently participated through a case study (included below) in the Women's Business Council’s (WBC) recent report which has just been published and presented to Government.

The Women's Business Council was set up to look at ways of maximising women's contribution to economic growth and assesses priorities in removing the barriers that women face in playing a full part in business and the workplace.

The Parliament Hill School case study has now been added to the WBC micro site.  It can be viewed through the following link:

http://womensbusinesscouncil.dcms.gov.uk/case-studies/parliament-hill-schoo/

The case study also follows below.

Case study

Raising aspirations through strategic careers provision: Parliament Hill School

Parliament Hill School takes a strategic approach to their provision of careers and work experience.  The aim is that on leaving the school, each child is work ready, has had the opportunity to explore her aspirations and had the appropriate support to achieve these.

Careers advice is embedded in the curriculum from when the children first join in Year 7, through key transition points where additional levels of support are embedded at Year 9 and for the post-16 transition. Advice is tailored according to educational performance so that the girls follow the most appropriate academic pathways to ensure their options are kept open and they realise their ambitions. This philosophy is embedded in all of the careers and raising aspirations work that takes place in school.

The school delivers a programme in partnership with external providers, of continued exposure to the world of work and higher education to assist the girls in developing their aspirations and plans for achieving these whether this be Oxbridge entry or a vocational qualification. There is a particular emphasis on STEM occupations. The school has developed good relationships with local businesses that host day visits and extended placements and also facilitate business connections through Hackney Education and Business Partnership. They also have connections into specialist sectors e,g. they maintain an ongoing partnership with Matrix Chambers Barristers who have enabled Parli girls who are interested in pursuing careers in Law to participate in visits to the Supreme Court for a legal debate, Matrix Chambers Open Days, Work Experience placements and provided Barristers in school to facilitate a Law in Citizenship programme. The ex-alumni association Future First provides a huge contribution, notably giving insight from role models about academic and career journeys.  The school works with local vocational course providers including the London College of Beauty and with a number of universities including Imperial College London, Wadham College Oxford, Girton College Cambridge, SOAS, UCL, the Royal Veterinary College, St Georges Medical school and City University.  They participate in the Chrysalis partnership work with Highgate Independent School on Oxbridge and medical school preparation.

In terms of activities, the girls take advantage of focussed assemblies, tutorials, careers carousels, careers days and Morrisby psychometric testing as well as ‘get ready for work’ days in Yr 10.  From Yr 11 the school’s independent careers advisor offers every student individual interviews and follow-ups. Post-16 students have access to a Higher Education Advisor. The school strives to invite women from a range of occupational fields into school to meet and work with students. This culminates with a celebration event for year 11 Parli leavers with a high-profile female guest speaker invited to address the girls and their parents/carers at their graduation ceremony.

All children are supported whether they want to pursue non-traditional careers such as in STEM or more traditional routes and are encouraged to excel. The school working with the Local Authority, has seen great success in ensuring all leavers go on to employment, training or further education.  

Head teacher Susan Higgins said:  ‘We want the girls to meet inspirational role models, to listen to a collection of different life stories and to reflect on advice and example from successful women, many of whom have managed family and career responsibilities, in planning their own bright futures.’

Guest of Honour, Lindsay Scott, spoke to students, staff and parents at the Year 11 ‘Class of 2013’ End of Key Stage 4 Celebration event on 26 June at Parliament Hill School. Lindsay Scott is Chief Executive of Matrix, a medium-sized barristers‘ chambers with a high media profile. 

Headteacher Ms Higgins introduced Lindsay Scott by saying how pleased she was that Lindsay could be present as she is an example of a woman who has succeeded in a male dominated profession, in a leadership role. Leading a staff who are trained to ‘argue’ cannot be easy but is clearly one in which she excels. 

Lindsay spoke to the audience about the importance of having an ‘action plan’ for one’s career, something she’d learned from her wide range of professional experiences. She urged the Year 11 students to fight for Feminism – the equality of conditions and opportunity for women in the workplace. ‘There is still much work to do in this area. Only 20% of politicians are women in the developed world.’ Lindsay said to the students: “You can make this a more equal world – it is in your hands to make the world a better one.” 

Lindsay’s advice to the students was ‘to find something you love doing, you will be better at it if you are fully engaged with it. There is no single definition of success and happiness, everyone is unique and we should all define our own values and goals.’ Lindsay concluded by encouraging the students to ‘believe in yourselves, dream big, forge a path around obstacles and improve yourselves. Step further, be curious, aim high, try and try hard – be and do whatever you want!’        

On the sunny evenings of 3rd and 4th July 2013, audiences were treated to an al-fresco performance of the key stage threeproduction, “Greek Myths”. The drama department had put together a series of short plays all based on a different myth,and done in varying styles, co-directed by some of our gifted and talented Year 10 drama students.

The audience was taken on a journey, from Pandora’s Box, beautifully underscored by Sive and Zohra Malik on the violin and cello, to the high drama of TrojanWomen, the delightful, surreal interpretation of Echo and Narcissus, to the beautiful choral work as Icarus flew through flocks of birds and fell into the waves, to the terrifying and stunning Medusa, and finally King Midas reimagined as a stockbroker in the 1980s and rhymed by a chorus of rappers. The drama department would like to congratulate the girls on two fantastic performances, and thank everyone that made them possible.

Students at PHS collected and celebrated the school’s best ever GCSE exam results on Thursday 22 August 2013. A large group of girls has gained impressive sets of multiple A* and A grades. Many of our students are now preparing for the next phase of their education based on their success at GCSE.

Headteacher Susan Higgins said, “We are very pleased that following a dip with results last year when we were affected by the national GCSE English debacle, we are back on track with our pattern of improved achievement year-on-year.

“We have achieved our highest ever results on the headline measures of 5 A*- C including English & Maths (69%). It is a fantastic and well-deserved improvement, reflecting the hard work and determination of all the students and our talented teachers.”

A teacher congratulates a Year 11 student on her 8A* and 5A grades.

At A Level Parliament Hill has also achieved excellent results, above national average pass rates and a high proportion of students achieving more top grades. We have seen a very high progression rate for our sixth formers to prestigious universities all over the country, including Oxbridge.

We were delighted to present the first ever Alexandra Wylie Tower Foundation Award for Perseverance to Tara-Jane Colligan.  Tara received the award in recognition of her determination and commitment to complete her secondary education despite significant personal challenges. The award was presented at a special Parli Awards evening in July where many other students also received achievement awards to celebrate their progress and commitment.

Tara returned to Parliament Hill School to start Year 12 determined to achieve the top grades of which she was capable. However personal circumstances at the start of the academic year meant that it was not possible for Tara to continue with her education at that time. Tara was given the opportunity to restart Sixth Form the following September. 

Tara completed Year 12 and 13 at school, whilst continuing to volunteer and to take courses outside of school, including a course in screen acting and attending the Chrysalis Summer School. It was not without the odd bump but her maturity, ambition and attitude to learning enabled her to achieve an A* in her Extended Project Qualification, A in English Literature, A in Drama and C in Geography. She is studying English & American Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Kent and will be the first member of her family to graduate from university. 

Tara is also an ambassador for the Chrysalis Summer School where she is supporting gifted and talented students to overcome their own personal challenges and to gain access to high level universities. 

On receiving her award, Tara said: “It has made my year. I will take it to university with me to remind me of what I can do if I keep my mind on the future. I’ll keep it forever.”

(Article by Neera Dhingra, Facilitator with Kids Company at Parliament Hill School)

Thank you to all visitors at Open Evening last night for taking an interest in our school. We hope our guests enjoyed hearing from current students, being guided around the premises by student ambassadors and talking to staff. The feedback we have received so far has been excellent. Prospective families are very welcome to our open mornings next week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, which begin at 9.00 am. Come and see the school in action!

Below are some images from open evening:

Despite having only two training sessions the U14 girls Badminton Team placed 3rd overall in competition. Their enthusiasm and determination was displayed in their court play. Well done to Anerise, Amalia, Lara and Svetlana.  

The U16 Badminton Team travelled to Haverstock School for their competition on 24th September. The girls fought hard and ended up placing 7th as a team. Their place overall did not reflect their skill and ability on the court. Congratulations on a well fought tournament, Maya, Selin, Anerise and Anya.  

Badminton club is run every Monday at lunchtime from 1:30pm.

Ms Mason, PE Team Leader

U14 team

U16 team