Headteacher's Weekly Review

Dear Parents/Carers,

There has been, quite rightly, considerable focus on Year 11 students of late.  Thank you to the 96% of Year 11 parents who were able to attend consultation evening last Thursday and thank you to those parents who also attended our Year 11 parents’ revision evening on Monday. I do hope that both evenings were useful and gave advice and practical strategies for helping your son/daughter in their preparation for their upcoming GCSE examinations.  If you were unable to attend the parents’ evening, Mrs Coulson, Year 11 Pastoral Co-ordinator, will be contacting you to arrange alternative appointments.  If you were unable to attend the revision evening, the presentation slides can be found on our website www.wokinghigh.surrey.sch.uk/

Two weeks ago we launched our Year 11 revision study plan programme.  All Year 11 students should now have finished their second week of planning.  Please do look out for the green planning sheets and give your support and encouragement. We are sending out electronic copies of the sheets to all Year 11 parents today.

Yesterday the last of the 5 groups of GCSE Food and Nutrition students completed their 3 hour practical exams, for their NEA 2 assessment.  The timely update and replacement of all the cookers in T6 helped them to be the best equipped they possibly could be for this 35% component of their GCSE. 

Today, 90 Year 11s have attended the “Doctor’s Show” organized by the AQA examination board to provide revision tips and exam advice for the School History Scene workshop specifically aimed at GCSE Health and the People unit.

Over the last couple of weeks the school has experienced considerable sporting success at District, County and National level.

Our Under 15 Pistol Shooting team were victorious in the British Schools Championships held at the Stoke Mandeville stadium. The team consisted of George McEwen, Jenna Culshaw and Chloe Westphal. Please see team and individual results below:

British Schools Pistol Championships

Intermediate Team Champions Top 3 only:

1st      Woking High

2nd     Rochester

3rd     Ysgol Bro Gwaun

Individually:

4th Place       George McEwen

7th Place       Jenna Culshaw

Then on Saturday at Guildford Spectrum in the Surrey Swimming Individual Championships our students were in great form with the majority recording personal best times. Our Year 9/10 Boys team were crowned County Champions with all 5 boys producing excellent swims.

Please see selected results below:

Team:  Inter Boys (Year 9/10) Champions

Individual top 6 only:

Gold             Mackenzie Russell     Inter boys      100m Freestyle

Gold             Joshua Thompson     Inter boys      100m Breaststroke

Silver            Danel Jansen           Inter girls      100m Freestyle

Bronze          Alexej Baldwin          Inter boys      100m Butterfly

Bronze          Michael Young           Inter boys      200m Individual Medley

Fourth           Daniel Baldwin          Junior boys    100m Freestyle

Fourth           Lauren Baker           Inter girls      100m Backstroke

Fifth             Mana Tanaka           Junior girls     100m Freestyle

Fifth             Lizzie Chapman        Junior girls     200m Individual Medley

Fifth             Steven Wood           Inter boys      100m Backstroke

Then in the last two weeks both our Year 7 Boys and Girls Basketball teams have been crowned District Champions after winning five out of the six tournaments and finishing runner up in the other one.

Woking High School is proud of its Holocaust Beacon School status.  On Sunday 27th January, Holocaust Memorial Day is a time to remember the millions murdered during the Holocaust of WWII and the later genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. 

This week the school has recognised and remembered Holocaust Memorial Day (27th January) through a series of assemblies. This year’s theme is ‘Torn from Home’ and we have reflected on a number of issues: how the enforced loss of a safe place to call ‘home’ is part of the trauma faced by anyone experiencing persecution and genocide; what happens when individuals, families and communities are driven out of, or wrenched from their homes, because of persecution or the threat of genocide; the difficulties survivors face as they try to find and build new homes when the genocide is over. Students have investigated three individuals who were torn from home and survived different genocides of the 20th Century. Dr Martin Stern MBE who was just 5 years old when taken to a concentration camp in Theriesenstadt. Sokphal Din was forced out of his home by the Khmer Rouge in 1975 and his family lost all of their property and belongings in the genocide - he has only recently retrieved his birth certificate to discover his real age. Finally we heard about Sabit Jakupovic who as a Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) was forced into a concentration camp by former Serbian friends and colleagues during the civil war. All three men now live in the UK, arriving as refugees, but as Sabit states:

‘I am in limbo status. I won’t be able to go back, I will never go back, but there is a part of my life that I cannot just walk away from. Even if I go now, my village is not the same, all I have is my memories, everything else has been destroyed. Part of me will always be there, no matter how hard I try to settle here’.

Later this half term we hope that Year 9 students will have the opportunity to participate in a Holocaust Survivor testimony webinar.

At school we embrace the opportunity to learn lessons from the past which can inform our lives today. We recognize that discrimination, prejudice, racism and hatred, must be prevented at every opportunity and that we must work together to create a safer, better future.

Best wishes,

Jane Abbott

Headteacher

Headteacher's Weekly Review

Dear Parents/Carers,

Despite some rather cold and dismal weather on Tuesday, many visits and activities took place on the first Day 11 of 2019.

Year 7s completed part of a unit of English called The Village Project, which is about using a student created village as a vehicle for creative and persuasive writing.  They presented their final ideas for their villages with a village fete.  Students were able to see the work of others in the year group and not only presented their ideas, but tried to persuade others to come and move to live in their village.

Year 8s looked at the sustainability of Woking to see how green we were as a school community and also looked at how we could use some of the ideas presented, at home.

Year 9s welcomed over 30 employers to review career paths at post-16. Students were given the opportunity to interview a range of employers and to find out about their career paths and what their jobs involved. They also had a chance to look at starting a careers website for young people, matching their interests with career paths (www. startprofile.com), all in preparation and support of their GCSE choices in the next few weeks.

Year 10 GCSE Art students visited the V&A and with the Saatchi museum in order to support their classwork and research for their next project.  The Silver Duke of Edinburgh participants continued with their training and route planning in preparation for their expeditions later in the year.

Year 11 GCSE Food preparation and Nutrition students used the extended time to complete their three hour assessed practical for their NEA2 component, while GCSE DT students completed their practical work too. GCSE PE also took the opportunity to complete NEA work. Year 11 Drama students participated in a ‘Blood Brothers’ workshop provided by the company ‘Stage-ed’. The workshop was led by professional actor Michael Southern who appeared in the West End production of ‘Blood Brothers’, playing the role of Sammy. The workshop explored the GCSE set text; students explored accents, characters and key scenes, resulting in some outstanding practical work. The energy, drive and imagination presented by the students were exceptional. Michael was brilliant in providing further insight into the play from his experiences, and he was a great inspiration to our students.

On Wednesday afternoon, 18 of our most able piano students across all year groups assembled in the Drama Studio. They had been invited to attend a piano masterclass with renowned concert pianist and teacher, Richard Meyrick. Richard, who made his concert début at the Wigmore Hall, London while still a student, went on to appear at a live televised performance of Brahms’ Piano Concerto No 2, conducted by Sir Adrian Boult, and has since performed in concert halls all over the world. Since 2004, Richard has given masterclasses in over 450 schools as part of The Pianoman Scholarships Scheme, a national programme to encourage and nurture talented young pianists courtesy of sponsors Sir and Lady Harvey McGrath. Richard's main aim for the afternoon was to broaden the thinking of our young musicians and give them new perspectives, techniques and goals for the preparation and presentation of their pieces.

Following a mesmerising and brilliant opening performance by Richard on our Grand piano, eight students volunteered to bravely follow the maestro, and took turns to play a prepared piece to the small, but select audience. Richard then appraised the performances giving excellent tips for improvement, including how to prepare a piece of music and how to develop muscle memory. The students were attentive and extremely poised and professional, as they played and listened. Richard was suitably impressed by the overall standard of musicianship demonstrated by all. He was utterly charming and entertaining, providing many anecdotal stories interwoven with short performance snippets of repertoire learnt throughout his illustrious career. It was a truly engaging afternoon enjoyed by all our students, but a special thank you and well done to the following pianists who performed:

Year 7    Cameron Sia

Year 8    Leanne Seet and Hugo Komatsu

Year 9    Kia Westaway

Year 10  Mana Komatsu

Year 11  Madeleine McClements, Jacob Smith and Jude Silverton

Thank you in advance to all parents of Year 11 students who are planning to attend consultation evening tonight. We look forward to meeting you (for the final consultation evening at Woking High School) to discuss your son/daughter’s progress to date and preparations that can be made prior to the GCSE exams in the coming months. On that note, a Year 11 parents’ revision evening is to be held on Monday 21st January from 6 p.m. in the School Hall. Letters regarding this event were schoolcomms-ed out on 11th January.

A reminder that it is our fourth Inset day of the academic year tomorrow (Friday 18th January) and as a result, students are not required in school. They will resume their normal timetable on Monday 21st January at 8.55 a.m.

The Friends of Woking High School’s recycling campaign is going well. The scheme pays out twice a year and so far we have raised £57.92, but we have probably already reached that total again.   Even better though, we have raised money for the school; your kind donations have given single use plastics a second life as new materials and products will be made from the hard-to-recycle waste.

Just to remind you, as well as milk/juice bottle tops we are also collecting triggers (see below).  All monies received from the recycling goes straight into the Friends of Woking High School funds. 

You are warmly welcomed to the next Friends of Woking High School meeting which is to be held at the school, on Wednesday 6th February at 8.45 a.m.  Please do come along, it will be lovely to see you.   The morning meeting allows us to attend a school assembly, with the meeting happening afterwards.

Finally, congratulations to Alice Acquaye in Year 10, who recently auditioned and was selected to perform in The Frog Prince with Cobham Players. She has a main speaking part and also has to sing and dance.  Alice has spent many hours rehearsing after school, at weekends and performing for this production.

Best wishes,

Jane Abbott

Headteacher

Headteacher's Weekly Review

Dear Parents/Carers,

Happy New Year and welcome back to the Spring term.  Over the Christmas period we received this fantastic news from the Friends of Woking High School regarding the minibus appeal.

“We are very pleased to have reached our target of £10,000, thanks to the generosity and help of volunteers, families, friends, the local community and the school. Thank you to everybody who supported this appeal, we couldn't have done it without you!”

  

The Friends invite you to join the Prize Club.  It is only £5 per month and half of your monthly entry is donated to Friends of Woking High School and half goes into the prize pot. Please see poster attached.

On behalf of the school, I too would like to thank all who supported this ambitious appeal and especially the members of Friends of Woking High School who have given time, effort, imagination and dedication to achieving this goal.

This week, Year 11 students have received their indicative exam results, participated in a results assembly and have taken time out to analyse their results – both to celebrate their successes and importantly to reflect and action plan for areas which need further improvement.

There are a number of key dates and events in the calendar for Year 11 students and their parents in the coming weeks.  Please see below.

Tuesday 15th January – Day 11 – GCSE Food practical, GCSE Drama workshop, GCSE study for PE, DT, Maths and Language

Thursday 17th January – Year 11 Consultation evening

Monday 21st January – Parents’ Revision evening

Monday 11th-Wednesday 13th March – Core Indicative exams

Year 9s have completed exams in Maths and Science this week.  They have approached these KS3 tests in an exemplary manner and are to be praised for their conduct and attitude.

Please may I remind you that students will not be required in school on Friday 18th January, as staff will be participating in Inset 4. Students will return to school on Monday 21st January at 8.55 a.m. to resume their normal timetabled teaching programme.

Finally, everyone at Woking High School wishes all associated with the Shah Jahan Mosque a very happy 130th birthday.  Shah Jahan Mosque is an iconic Woking landmark and is now a Grade 1 listed building.  The mosque was commissioned by Dr Gottlieb Leitner (1840-1899) for visiting students of the Oriental Institute to worship. Designed by Woking architect William Isaac Chambers (1847-1924) and built in 1889, it was partly funded by Sultan Shah Jahan Begum, the female ruler of the Indian princely state of Bhopal. The mosque fell out of use after Leitner’s death but was restored and revived bv Indian lawyer Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din. Today it is an active place of daily prayer for many of Woking’s Muslim residents as well as visitors from further afield.  To find out more about our wonderful local Mosque visit www.shahjahanmosque.org.uk

Best wishes,

Jane Abbott

Headteacher