January Review 2012

Website address: www.clapton.hackney.sch.uk

Clapton ReviewThe newsletter of Clapton Girls’ Academy

January 2012

Message from Cheryl Day,

Headteacher

Welcome to this bumper edition of Clapton Review.

It is fantastic to be able to report that our new

academy has begun life exceptionally well.

Inside these pages you will see and hear about some of the very

exciting and compassionate events our wonderful students have

been involved in. Look out for the visit to Buckingham Palace; the

Minister’s visit to the Learn for Work Programme and a pictorial

reminder of the exceptional ‘Clapton’s Got Talent’... and of course,

much, much more.

Front page news is the very special visit from Baroness Amos, the

UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, who officially

opened our new academy in November 2011 and who now wants to

remain involved with our school. We look forward to seeing a great

deal more of Baroness Amos.

Baroness launches academy

“I walked into Buckingham Palace feeling

incredibly overwhelmed by its beauty, the

corridor decorated in rich deep red and gold. I

couldn’t stop smiling, particularly when I saw

the Duke of Edinburgh,' said Najma Ahmed

10C. On 9th November, Najma and team mates

Rommana Delair 10L and Jamiah Okeye 11L

attended an award ceremony in recognition of

their win at the English Speaking Union (ESU)

London School Debate Challenge in July.

The girls were awarded prizes for their amazing

debating achievement by the Duke of

Edinburgh who spoke to them at length about

school life and their future prospects. This

incredible experience included a tour of part of

the palace, as well as the opportunity to meet

sponsors of the debate events, Cambridge

University, Mediacom and The Week magazine.

It was clear that the girls were experts in the art

of networking as notable guests approached

them, handing them their business cards!

Earlier in the term Najma and Rommana tried

out for the England Debate team. Although their

analytical skill and logical reasoning was said to

be of high quality as they debated on political

issues, the competition from students from

many different backgrounds and an age range

from fifteen to twenty-two years was so strong

that they did not make the team this year but

are determined to go for it again next year.

TERM DATES

Wednesday 8th February

Year 9 Parent Consultation Evening

Friday 10th February

Professional Learning Day

SCHOOL CLOSED

Half Term13th-17th February

Thursday 22nd March

Year 7 Parent Consultation Evening

Friday 30th MarchEnd of Spring term

Coming to Clapton was a

great first choice! Not

only am I in a fantastic

Sixth Form but being in

the academy gave me

the opportunity to apply

for a job at the Olympics.

130 Sixth Form students were taken to an

Olympic employment fair in October

where we were involved in mock role

plays and had the chance to apply for

jobs. I opted to go into catering. Once

through the first round of interviews I was

given a second interview with the

company who I would be working for and

was told immediately that I had got a job.

I am not alone as 100% of Clapton Sixth

Formers who applied got jobs too, some

in retail, some in security and some in

cleaning. Our training begins in March.

We will be paid a living wage and get to

see some of the events. I am so excited

as it is a once in a lifetime opportunity

and I never expected to be part of such

a big event.

Mariam Mulla 12P

Rising basketball star Lauren Thomas-

Johnson wowed students last term.

The girls listened intently as she spoke

of her sporting journey since the age of

sixteen from the streets of Manchester

to competitions around the globe, and

of her experiences last summer

competing with the Great Britain squad

in the European championships and

the World Student Games in China.

Clapton’s own stars were out to

impress the Olympic hopeful in the

coaching session. Their potential was

spotted as Thomas-Johnson remarked

on the talent she saw as they

demonstrated their skills.

Palace visit for

debate winners

Interested in

being a Parent

Governor?

School teams from all six host boroughs competed

against each other in Paralympic sports such as

archery, sailing, goal ball and judo at the Hackney

Schools’ Sports Championships at Clissold Leisure

Centre over a week in October. Clapton participants

gained a whole new perspective on familiar sports

like basketball by playing from the position of being in

a wheelchair. They also discovered a new sport -

Boccia. The wheelchair basketball coaches have

since run taster sessions with Year 8 students at

Clapton. We look forward to supporting the England

team in the 2012 Olympics.

Olympic Jobs

Young Games

Makers

Paralympics

Interviews for a team job

working at the Olympic

Aquatics event took place

on 4th December. Eight

Clapton students were

put through their paces in

the very impressive

offices on the 23rd floor

of the Barclays building

overlooking the Olympic

site, the 2012 Head

Office at Canary Wharf.

They were tested on their knowledge of the

seven Olympic values, and given

apprentice-style pressure challenges of

building towers from only newspaper and

scissors against other youth groups, whilst

Ms Fox & Ms Keatley had a formal

interview.

Exciting news just received - we are the

successful team. We got the job!

Talent spotting

Are you committed to the educationand achievement of young women in

Hackney? Can you devote threeevenings and half a day per term to

Clapton Girls’ Academy?

If so, we would love you to join the

Governing Body as a parent governor.

For more information please e-mail

Camilla Allwood, Chair of Governors

cga@clapton.hackney.sch.uk

Baroness Amos, the UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs

paid a special visit to Clapton on 9th November for a celebration of the

school’s conversion to an academy at the beginning of the term. Baroness

Amos, who was the first black woman to sit in the Cabinet and the first

black leader of the Lords, gave a speech saying, ‘Educating girls is the key

to development in many of the poorest communities in the world. I am glad

that the students here are taking their access to quality education seriously.

It is inspiring to see their commitment and dedication.’

Baroness Amos unveiled a plaque

commemorating the occasion and

delighted students as she spent time

talking with them and visiting lessons.

Followus on:

Each year the government prepares a document

called RAISEonline that summarises a school’s

GSCE results against national averages.

The British Council’s prestigious

International School Award, a badge

of honour for schools with

outstanding international education,

has been given to Clapton Girls’

Academy for a further three years.

Recognising that today’s young

people must gain the cultural

understanding and skills they need

to live and work as global citizens,

the academy creatively brings the

world into the classroom. Work with

link partner schools overseas is a

particular strength.

Clapton Girls’ Academy has

been successfully

reassessed for its Inclusion

Quality Mark, proving once

again that the teaching and

learning, achievements,

attitudes and well being of

every child matters in our

academy. The Quality Mark

in inclusion looks at how

schools see differences as

opportunities for learning.

As the Victrix Ludorum

student, I was asked to take

part in National Apple Day on

21st October. I was at the school

gates at 8am giving out hundreds of

apples to every student as they arrived for school.

We told students why we were giving them out. I think this

event was a great idea as it

advertised healthy eating at

our school.

It was so successful that at

the end of term we held a

Satsuma Day!

Wuraola Ijelu 9A

December saw the

introduction of a new

healthier lunch time

menu. A big thank you

to students and staff

who helped by giving

their views on how to

improve the service.

We feel it is vital

students make the right choices about their diet,

exercise and well-being and have also increased the

amount of hours available to students to exercise and

train for their chosen sport, and put even more sports on

the menu too. Students can now exercise, meet friends

and get fit and healthy at 7.30am basketball training

sessions (with complimentary breakfast), and after

school boxercise, rowing or fencing clubs. Indulging in

something naughty once a week on the new ‘Treat Day

Tuesday’ will be great after burning off a few calories!

The Hackney Sports awards took place at the Hackney

Empire on 2nd November. Clapton was well represented

and came away with several achievements.

Former student Vanessa Humphrey won the ‘Outstanding

Contribution to the London Youth Games’ award, alongside

her team mates in the Hackney Youth Kayak Slalom team

for taking their team from 15th to 5th place. Vanessa was

welcomed back on stage with Florence Buckwell 9A, Josie

Gummer 10A and Seun Adeduntan 9L to be congratulated

for their medal wins in the London Youth Games by Dalton

Grant, a Hackney born and bred Olympic medallist.

Ms Keatley and Ms Van Staeyen were also invited onto the

stage as very well-deserving runners up in the 'Voluntary

Services to Sport'

category. These girls

and staff members have

since been awarded

tickets to the 2012

Olympic Games for their

fantastic achievements.

Josie Gummer 10A was nominated for one of the

seventeen Hackney Sports awards. Currently placed fifth

nationally in her age group for sailing, Josie first learnt to

sail at West Reservoir in Stoke Newington after visiting

with her junior school. She is now following her dream of

progressing through the Royal Yachting Association

pathways to become an Olympic sailor.

Josie, who races in a cadet dinghy, first as crew, and

now as helm, has set her target to get into the National

Elite squad. In addition, Josie has also received a silver

medal for Hackney in the 2011 Youth Games.

Team spirit has been very strong so far in the fierce battles for

victory in Interform competitions. Results so far have seen

wins for 7L and 8L in the Year 7 and Year 8 basketball

competitions, and for 8A and 9A in the Year 8 and Year 9

netball competitions.

The PE Department thank all students who represented their

forms, and those who helped deliver the events. Dates are

being arranged for more opportunities to become champions

in this term’s interform events.

‘Consisting of 40% new buildings and 60% refurbishedbuildings, the design provides an enhanced physicalenvironment with particular respect to the historicarchitectural features of the existing Edwardianbuildings. Sustainable features throughout. HackneyDesign Award winner 2010 (Jestico + Whiles 2010)..’ran the Clapton Girls’ Academy advert for Open House

London weekend in September. Billed as the capital’s

greatest architectural showcase this event was a

unique opportunity to get under the skin of London’s

amazing architecture. With a theme of ‘The Liveable

City’ communities discovered more and spoke out on

issues relevant to their local area, from design of

homes to impact of climate change, showing how good

design can make London a more liveable city.

Clapton Girls’ Academy joined with over 700 other

buildings of all kinds in opening its doors to the public in

a truly city-wide celebration of the buildings, places and

neighbourhoods where we live and work. Many visitors

were welcomed and shown round our award-winning

site, from ex-students with fond memories to inquisitive

local residents exploring what is on their doorstep.

One Hackney resident said: “Open House made me

realise that there are some innovative and interesting

things beginning to happen in Hackney, an area I

haven’t previously associated with notable

architecture.”

For information on Openhouse 2012 see

www.openhouselondon.org.uk

RAISEonline Apple Day

Hackney

Sports

Awards

AttendanceOur academy fairs very well with

school absence and persistent

absence well below national averages.

Attainment

Attainment compares our GCSE

grades to national figures. The

headline figures for 5+ GCSEs at A*-C

including English and mathematics are

in line with national figures. At subject

level, the English, languages, science

and statistics were significantly above

national average. No subject was

significantly below national average.

In terms of average points score, we

are in line with national figures.

However for the top 8 subjects in

GCSEs, the points score obtained by

students at our academy is

significantly above the national

average.

Narrowing the GapsNarrowing the gaps monitors how

students who receive FSM compare to

those who do not. At our academy, the

gap between these was significantly

smaller than seen nationally.

Value Added PerformanceThis is a measure of the progress

students make between different stages

of education – our value-added score

for the top 8 subjects including English

and mathematics is in the top 5% of

schools nationally and at subject level,

English and science are in the top 1%,

with mathematics in the top 6%,

languages in the top 2% and humanities

in the top 7%. SEN students and free

school meals (FSM) students are also

significantly above national average.

Progress Progress compares the level at which

students enter the academy to the

grade they achieve at GCSE and

monitors the percentage that make

good progress. At our academy 88%

made good progress in mathematics

and 74% made good progress in

English - these are both significantly

above the national figures.

Recently published, the report shows Clapton Girls’ Academy to be significantly above schools nationally.

The report has five main sections:

I suggested to my form that we get

involved in the ‘World’s Biggest

Coffee Morning’ in September,

initiated by Macmillan Cancer

Support. We were joined by 9T in

our efforts and baked cakes,

biscuits and cupcakes. We sold

them to students and staff after

school. The event was a huge

success raising £164. We raised

people’s awareness about the

excellent support work Macmillan do with cancer patients and look

forward to fundraising again next year. Edie Sharples 9C

Bake Sale

January Review 2012 January Review 2012

Interform battles

Cross CountryWe had great success on the cross country circuit in

October. In the Hackney Secondary Schools’ event the

Year 7 team came in the top twelve positions in the field,

whilst Milly Croft 9L led the Year 8 and 9 team to the finish

line in 11 minutes 34 seconds. In the Senior category

Kikelomo Ogunyanwo 10T came away with a bronze

medal. As a result over ten Clapton students represented

Hackney in the London Youth Games cross country

competition in Parliament Hill on 19th November.

Our Year 7 team also competed in the first of its kind

cross country relay in Lee Valley Athletics Centre,

claiming 8th position from an extremely strong field of

schools from inner London and the surrounding counties.

The borough’s musical talent hit the high note when more than

340 young performers came together to create an extravaganza

at the Hackney Empire on 10th November. Singers and musicians

played to the packed-out Mare Street venue for the annual gala

concert organised by the Hackney Music Service.

The programme featured a veritable feast of colour variety to whet

the appetite and satisfy the taste of a wide cross-section of music

lovers. Among this eclectic musical mix Clapton’s Ruby Margetts

11T, Chaimaa Elazrak and Robiatu Jalloh-Cole 11P filled the

stage with a medley of two songs. Clapton was equally

represented in the orchestras with Jess Judge 9P, Bella Harter 9T

and Amy Coles 8C playing cello and flute and Sophie Johnston

9P, Milly Croft and Coral

Sinclair Fenn 9L playing

clarinet. The evening

culminated with a Hackney

Borough Youth Orchestra

and Choir performance of

O Fortuna – better known as

the title song for hit ITV show

The X Factor.

A Senegalese sabar

drumming workshop led

by Outhouse Rubabi

members was laid on

for 7N and 9C in

December. These

professional musicians

perform in and around

Europe and Africa at

various Jazz and World

Music Festivals.

Sabar drumming is normally

accompanied by dancing and

usually takes place for special

occasions and festivals

including births, baby naming

ceremonies, weddings,

holidays and other special

celebrations. Students learnt

about various drums and

their purposes, including the

talking drum, and played

various riffs and polyphonic

and cross rhythms.

January Review 2012 January Review 2012

Clapton has joined the green

revolution and is actively leading the

way to a more sustainable future by

finding ways to reduce the school’s

carbon footprint and cutting down on

its waste.

A recycling initiative was launched in

the Dining Pavilion in December. In

preparation for the launch, Sixth Form

representatives visited classes to talk

about how the new scheme would work and why it is important to

recycle. They were then on hand at lunch time demonstrating how

it should be done, throwing rubbish and scraping plates into the

right bits of the new recycling units.

Two weeks after the start of the scheme it looked like everyone

had quickly grasped what to do. 2012 will be a year when recycling

expands and even more green plans become reality. We are

already well on our way to being

an eco-friendly site.

Reuse Reduce Recycle

ECO warriors across the borough were praised for

their work to make schools greener and more

sustainable at the Hackney Schools’ Green Heroes

Awards on 28th November. Among the winners was

Maya Bednall-Greaves 10P, who took home the Key

Stage 4 Pupil medal for her commitment to

gardening and recycling. A keen member of the

Earthcare club, Maya can be found planting, pruning

and weeding without fail in the school grounds, even

in the darkest, coldest, rainy winter afternoons.

Maya has also taught other students how to make

green tomato chutney from tomatoes grown in the

school garden, used recycled materials to make

dried lavender gift bags and a spectacular

Christmas wreath! Truly a pioneering green hero.

Leave with a future

Green

Heroes

PetcheyAwards

Sabar drumming

I went to the Great British Music

Experience at the O2 in

November. On display were

songs, clothes and information

about artists from different eras.

We were shown how to play

guitar, drums and piano and

how to use a mixing desk.

Moving on to the dance and singing booths we

discovered our tickets were no ordinary tickets. They

had a memory chip inside. We recorded our song and

dance sessions and have since been able to view

them on the exhibition’s website. The last room we

went into made us feel like we were in a live concert

as we were surrounded by screens. The event was

fun and it was amazing to learn how much music has

changed over the years.Gala Edmunds 7L

Empire

Gala

Concert

Our journey to the Royal College of Music began on a hot

253 bus and ended on a train stuffed full of people. However,

when we got there the college was great. It was big and old

fashioned with ancient features. We learnt a lot on our

museum tour, seeing valuable and delicate but really

beautiful and well-preserved instruments. There was a

harpsichord made by Jacob and Abraham Kirkman in London

in 1773 (possibly the oldest keyboard in the world); a barrel

organ with sixteen notes and an original picture of Joseph

Haydn who lived from 1732 to 1809.

We were all excited to be able to perform our rehearsed

song, Baba Yaga in front of the audience in an interactive

concert before our long journey home.

Happy Imafidon 8A

Royal College of Music

Jack Petchey Award

winners from 2010-2011

were invited to attend a

special presentation

evening at Stoke Newington Town Hall on 1st November

to recognise their achievement and be presented with a

medallion. The students and their families were

delighted and we are really proud of these amazing

students who have contributed so much to the life of the

school in sports, as members of the School Council and

as student ambassadors.

Learn for Work, an innovative education programme

and partnership between Linklaters and seventy-

eight schools was launched at Clapton Girls’

Academy by Tim Loughton MP, Minister for Children

and Families. The award-winning scheme currently

inspires over 10,000 young people globally each

year. In London the scheme raises the skills,

aspirations and experience of young people through

activities including debating, interview experience

and advocacy training as well as work experience,

careers events and enterprise projects.

The event showcased Linklaters’ partnership with

our academy and included guests from KPMG,

Freshfields, the Corporation of London, Clare

College Cambridge and the Social Mobility

Foundation.

I am in a group of thirty-five Year 10 students who are being

mentored by staff from Linklaters law firm. The mentors are

professionals employed in high profile jobs, such as lawyers, who

have volunteered over the year to help raise our aspirations and

support us to reach our full potential. They share their work and life

experiences with us, preparing us for the working world. We look at

topics like coursework, searching for colleges, CVs, job applications

and career options. This programme is a once in a lifetime

opportunity for us to progress to a successful, well-organised future.

Another group of Year 10 students are mentored by staff from AON

in the same way.Deniz Agirbas 10P

Dear Parent16th November 2011

After an

exciting journey

across the Channel, here we are

in Boulogne. So far, we have visited an amazing

aquarium. I have never seen so many types of

jellyfish and shark. We practised our French in the

shops of the old town and bought berets! The town is

very quaint with impressive fortified walls. The

teachers bought baguettes for us to try. You should

have seen the number of baguettes they came back

with for the sixty-nine of us on the trip. On the way

home we will stop at a big supermarket. I will bring

back some beautiful French cheese for you. The

weather is chilly but it is a wonderful day.

Great British Music Experience

The vibrant, brightly coloured

shop packed full of chocolate

greeted us on arrival at Cadbury

world in Birmingham.

We were led to the start of the

exhibition - the history of chocolate and

then into Bull Street, a full-scale replica

of the original street where John

Cadbury opened his shop in 1824. After

this we were told the inspiring story of

John Cadbury’s early struggles to

establish the business and shown a

video of how chocolate is made. Then

came the best part, the tour of the

factory. We got a sneak peek at a huge

vat of molten chocolate behind a glass

wall.

To entice us to buy we came to three

counters – one where we wrote our

name in chocolate and ate it, another

making chocolate shells and the final

one a tray covered in dozens of small

containers, filled with molten chocolate

with spoons provided. It was inevitable

that most of Year 9 bought oversized

chocolate bars in the gift shop!

Áine Harnett-Lennon 9N

January Review 2012 January Review 2012

A day of cleaning, labelling and loading over two hundred

bicycles into a container, alongside other equipment and books,

was hard graft for members of Bikes2Gambia, an initiative run by

the Police Cadets. Working together with a project called

Bikes4Africa we had previously sent hundreds of bikes to Africa.

We started our day at 9am and finished at 5pm, exhausted and

dirty! As the lorry drove off we waved excitedly, knowing the next

time we see the container will be in the Gambia distributing its

contents to the local children. A celebration was held before going

home, with everyone thanked for their help and support.

Nida Dyer 13F

I have always been interested in

Law so when I heard about the

Pathways to Law programme I

was determined to get a place on

the two year programme split

between University College

London (UCL) and London School

of Economics (LSE).

The programme includes workshops about the Legal

system, debates, frequent visits to the courts, as well as

work experience at the UK’s Magic Circle Law firms.

I sent off my application and personal statement about

why I deserved a place on the programme and was

given a conditional place, dependent upon my GCSE

grades. After receiving my results I finally received a

letter confirming my place at UCL’s Faculty of Law. I was

elated as competition is always very strong. I am now

one term on and busy unpicking all the aspects of Law

in preparation for my future career.Chrisann Jarrett 12M

As part of their Wild Swans Womens’ Leadership scheme four

Sixth Formers found themselves sleeping under the stars in a

game reserve last Summer.

Armed with skills from leadership workshops and the benefits of

mentoring and training from powerful female leaders Briony

Lambert, Tania Hossain, Titilope Badru and Alexie Telan set off for

a fifteen day wilderness trail in South Africa. Surrounded by wild

animals in the Imfolozi Game Reserve, the girls were definitely

out of their comfort zone, carrying all their possessions in

backpacks, spotting hyenas on night watch, washing in crocodile-

infested waters and running away from rhinos for five days!

Construction work was on the agenda for the second week,

sieving sand, mixing concrete and plastering school walls in 36

degree temperatures in Mabandla village. Living with families the

group lived simply without electricity and running water. Fully

involved in community life they met the chief and joined in with

traditional dancing, as well as paying a visit to the HIV clinic and

patients’ homes.

Launched as a one-day event in 2000, The Big Draw is now an annual month-long

festival of over one thousand events across the UK in museums, galleries, heritage

sites, libraries, schools and parks.

As part of a ReachOutRCA Big Draw project that combines drawing, collage, 3D

construction and film-making Year 7 and 8 students took part in a workshop with Jo

Blaker, a recent graduate from the Royal College of Art. Students used images of

pots, utensils, jewellery and metalwork to construct intriguing imaginary objects.

Finally they transformed a standard paper cup into something new and unique.

An exhibition of work produced during the project was on show in the Hockney

Gallery at the RCA in November.

What better way to enthuse students about

geography than by giving them the opportunity

to win a free weekend of field studies and the

chance to compete in an international

geography competition?

Making its debut in Hackney, Clapton hosted the first stage of

the Geography Worldwise Quiz contest run by the Geography

Association. The scores of competing schools Clapton,

Petchey, Stoke Newington and Our Ladies were close after

rounds of questions on General Knowledge, Where in

Hackney and having to identify difficult pictures. Despite being

spectacular, our Year 9 team of Beatrix Webb, Fauziya Lakhi

and Aine Harnett-Lennon were in third place, missing first

place by just four points!

Flatford Mills

More than a million people viewed

the Rivers of the World exhibition,

part of the Thames Festival lining

the banks of the River Thames in

September. The art work was also

on display in the gallery@oxo and

other riverside venues in

participating countries.

With the help of professional artists,

Clapton students worked with our

partner school in Turkey to produce

huge artworks symbolising the

history, culture and environment of

the river Thames in London and the

Bosphorus in Istanbul.

Profiles

Women of the Future

Bikes4Africa

Chasing Crocodiles Rivers Unite

Could an 18 year-old who

discovered two asteroids and a

doctor who found bacteria can

power cars be the future of

women in technology? All was

revealed at The Women of the

Future Awards.

Le My Dang 12M who made headlines for being

Hackney’s highest achiever with her 12 GCSE A*s last

summer, was nominated in the Young Star category of

the Women of the Future Awards for showing

exceptional promise in our academy. Invited to the

glittering awards ceremony at the London Marriott

Grosvenor Square for being on the final shortlist of

five candidates, she rubbed shoulders with

honourable guests HRH The Princess Royal, Cherie

Blair, and Miriam González Durántez, wife of the

Deputy Prime Minister. Unfortunately Le My was

pipped to the post for an award, but it was great to

see a fellow Sixth Former from Mulberry take the

trophy from under the noses of students from Oxford,

Cambridge and Imperial College!

At another event five Sixth

Formers spent an evening

with 100 leading business

women at the Women of

the Future ambassadors

programme annual

reception. All managed to

successfully secure either a work placement or an

invaluable contact. Highlights of the evening included

an inspirational speech from Miriam González

Durántez and a chance to practice professional

networking skills.

Law Pathways

The

B

ig Dr aw

Cadbury World

From the idyllic setting of Flatford Mills

Field Centre, a place made famous by

Constable's painting 'The Haywain',

Geography GCSE students ventured out

to Walton-on-the-Naze to study the coast

which is being eroded at up to two metres

a year. Students were addressing the

hypothesis 'Not all coastal management

schemes are successful'. Along this

stretch of coastline there are many

different sea defences, including groynes,

rip rap, sea walls, drainage and grading.

Despite glorious sunshine and warm

weather, our students focussed on the

task, using theodolites and other specialist

equipment to measure the impacts of

coastal defences on the beach during the

day, and processing their results in the

classroom during the evening. A very

successful field visit!

January Review 2012 January Review 2012

The first round of the oldest national debating competition in the UK,

The Schools’ Mace organised by the English Speaking Union took

place at Clapton in November. Running since 1957, discussions are

encouraged on controversial topics and current affairs. Students in

the competition develop their knowledge, while enhancing their

speech writing, public speaking and analytical thinking skills. Former

winners have gone on to become MPs, well-known journalists, senior

lawyers, prominent scientists and captains of industry.

Showcasing their excellent debating skills against teams from

Willowfield, City of London Girls’ and Mossbourne, the brilliance of

Sixth Formers Ruth Lyons and Chrisann Jarrett took them through to

the second challenging round this term.

D e b a t i n g

Year 5 pupils came to our Portico building for poetry workshops

with professional poets, Rachel Rooney and Nii Parkes in

November. They listened to readings and worked on developing

their creative writing skills. Later in the week the poets visited

them in their primary schools, Baden-Powell, Daubeney,

Gainsborough, Kingsmead, Rushmore and Southwold. Their

creative work will be showcased on a dedicated website.

Clapton’s debating teams have been working

hard. Not only have they had their own

competitions, but students have also been

supporting pupils from our local primary

schools in building their debating skills,

including taking them for further training to

Clare College, Cambridge.

A Model UN course running over six weeks of the Autumn term

culminated in a weekend event at the UN building in London.

Clapton students assumed the role of delegates of South Korea,

Nigeria and New Zealand, debating the subject of climate change

with 400 other delegates from national and international schools.

After the two days of moderated and unmoderated caucus resolution papers were

written, showing actions proposed by individual countries to fight climate change.

Awards were given out to student teams for the best proposals. Nida Dyer 13F and

Maariya Dawood 13D received an honourable mention for putting forward such a

strong economic and political resolution on behalf of Nigeria.

Nida Dyer 13F & Hafsa Khatun 13D

Sixth Form Drama students embraced

their studies last term by seeing

performances of Saved by Edward

Bond at the Lyric Hammersmith and

Phaedra’s Love by Sarah Kane at the

Arcola. Both plays belong to genres of

theatre which seek to shock and

unsettle the audience.

Having read Saved in class, the girls

relished the opportunity to see the

new, cutting-edge production

performed by professional actors.

Phaedra’s Love introduced the girls to

an ancient story recreated in a violent

and nihilistic modern world.

Interacting with Sixth Formers from

other local schools in a theatre

workshop taught our

students about the impact

and purpose of theatre.

Model

UN

Deathly HallowsSilver cinema tickets in hand we set off to

the Barbican Theatre to see Harry Potter

and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the day

after the film was released. Entering into

a Harry Potter themed setting with

dangling cobwebs, gloomy owls and

creepy spiders certainly made the people

dressed up as characters from the film

seem real! The experience became even

better when we found out the screening

was in 3D. Thank you to Linklaters for

making this truly astonishing trip possible.

Ayesha Begum & Alexie Telan 13D

Student

Parliament The Schools’ Mace

A journey to Shakespeare’s birthplace,

Stratford-upon-Avon was embarked

upon by Year 13 English Literature

students on 17th November. It was a

fantastic experience on both a cultural

and educational level with a tour of the

home of our famous bard, followed by a

tour of Anne Hathaway’s cottage. Our

tour guide treated us to a wonderful

rendition of Poet Laureate, Carol Ann

Duffy’s poem, ‘Anne Hathaway’. The

day ended with a fascinating two hour

seminar on Shakespeare’s famous

tragedy ‘King Lear’.

Freshers’Week

Saved

Stratford

PorticoPoetry

Year 12 Government and Politics students voiced

opinions on the motion ‘Taxpayers should

subsidise university education for the betterment

of our society’ at a Student Parliament session in

the Houses of Parliament. All girls spoke out, with

special mention to ‘Government Backbencher’,

Aysha Mirza who spoke for the motion and

Chrisann Jarrett who had the challenging role of

closing the debate for the opposition. The

students followed House of Commons procedure

for the day and had an invaluable lesson in the

function and processes of Parliament.

As the post riots debate continues, two Clapton

Sixth Form groups are taking matters into their

own hands by organising positive action aimed

at repairing some of the damage done. Their

submissions in this year’s Pitch4Change

programme run by Envision focused on

challenging misconceptions of young people by

building community relationships and showing

that they care about their neighbourhoods.

They presented their ideas to a panel of

business people from Clifford Chance, EDF

Energy, Legal & General Property and Morgan

Stanley in the hope of winning up to £500 for

their projects.

The team calling themselves ‘Unity in the

Community’ were awarded £420 to give young

people the opportunity to express their feelings

and opinions through art. They plan to run a

series of interactive sessions in local schools

where students will be able to contribute to

community murals. The other team called

‘Hackney Secrets’ aims to help eradicate

negative stereotypes of the landscape by

placing photographs of beautiful areas of the

borough that are not commonly known about in

local hotspots such as cafés and libraries.

Faculty Fortunes, the game show for all staff, was

organised by Year 12 Young Enterprise students

as a fundraiser for their business, Phoenix

Enterprise. The Academics team (Science and

English) led by Mr Fachini went head to head with

the Teachers team (Humanities and Business) led

by Ms Lynch. Cheered on by an excellent

audience turnout through general knowledge

rounds and charades the winners were .... the

Academics. The event raised £60 for the group’s

new venture, an exciting product which should be

on sale in school soon.

The cast of As You Like It, comprising of

fifteen Year 10 and 11 students, performed at

the Unicorn Theatre as part of Shakespeare

Schools’ Festival in November.

The project encouraged the girls to actively

engage with Shakespeare and hone their

drama skills whilst experiencing the electric

energy of a live performance. Being a

comedy, As You Like It proved a big hit with

the audience and there were several rounds

of applause - for clever acting and amusing

moments - during the play.

Following on from the success of last year’s production of Twelfth Night, festival

organisers were once again impressed with Clapton’s theatrical talent. Official

feedback included a comment from Mike Tweddle, Shakespeare Schools’ Festival

producer: ‘Brilliant, infectious...the magic was brilliantly executed from start to finish!

A wonderful finale to the evening!’ The girls went on to perform their piece twice in

the Nightingale Hall for students, staff, friends and family.

As You Like It

Clare College, Cambridge, one of our academy

partners, treated six Year 10 students to an exciting two

day residential early in the Autumn term. Greeted by a

large group of student volunteers, we were initially given

a tour of the College and surrounding city both on foot

and by punt on the river Cam. The days were packed

with a host of brilliant opportunities including a

‘Fresher’s Week Challenge’ and an enthralling lecture

on Chaucer. However, we especially loved being given

our own rooms to stay in! We were spellbound by the

life of the university, something which we all now aspire

to as the next step on our academic journey.

Debate MateI recently joined the Debate club and

seeing world-class debaters in action at

the Debate Mate London schools’ launch

at the Royal Geographical Society was

really exciting. Omolara Akinnawonu 8A

gave an impassioned speech during the

floor debate topic of ‘Should corporal

punishment be introduced into schools?’

Not surprisingly the vote was against the

motion!

The Debate Club is for students in Years

8 and 9. The weekly training with a

university student has given me

confidence to speak out loud

and we have our first

competition in January.

Atiyyah Mulla 8N

AmbassadorsSummit

I went to the

‘Save the Children’

Ambassadors summit at

Islington Town Hall to look at

the issue of stereotyping of young

people in London.

Speeches told us about common ways of stereotyping and there

was also a film put together by the ambassadors of the public giving

their opinions about stereotyping and young people. Heated table

discussions were held about what we could do to prevent stereotyping. I

presented our best idea to the audience involving children in police training

and the public acting as secret shoppers. My favourite thing about the event

was that the ambassadors presenting were children of all different ages and

cultures, not adults – breaking a stereotype!Khadija Patel 7L

January Review 2012 January Review 2012

C l a p t o n ’ s G o t T a l e n t

Step into

Dance

Thank you for the music

Dance students in Years 7 to

10 presented three high

standard dance pieces based

on observations of school life

at the Royal Academy of

Dance contemporary

showcase at Mulberry school

for Girls on 6th December. The

pieces were created by the

Step into dance group and

Clapton's Dance Passion

Group.

“Absolutely blown away” was the reaction as the crowd

left after the first Clapton’s Got Talent show in

November. The competition consisted of a variety of

twenty-four acts from illusionists to contemporary

dancers, violinists to vocalists who had been selected

from three gruelling nights of auditions in October.

These talented performers had been to countless

rehearsals so that they got it right on the night.

The performers were cheered on by their local

community of parents, friends and teachers. The

judging panel included former student Rashmika

Torchia, now studying Drama at RADA and Susie

McKenna, Creative Director of the Hackney Empire.

The act that walked away with first prize was Milly Croft

9L, wowing the audience with magic tricks. Apart from

the three winning students, a further three scholarships

were awarded by Anna Fiorentini to her Theatre and

Film School which runs classes at Clapton. The sell-

out show raised over £1,500 for the academy’s

extra-curricular activities.

Malu & Lily

Prize

Giving

Current sixth former, Lilian Servante, is expanding two

contrasting sides of her life, focusing on her A level

studies and at the same time pursuing her passion in

music with her sister, ex-Clapton student Amelia

Kirkland. The duo go under the name of Malu and Lily.

After two years of exploring social media and

networking, they now have over a quarter of a million

YouTube hits and thousands of regular viewers. They

began covering well-known songs, from JLS to Elvis

Presley, and now also write and release their own

original material. The Hackney sisters are taking it one

step further by getting to the semi-finals in a national

music competition, Open Mic UK, and even appeared

as guest performers at our very own Clapton’s Got

Talent. Keep up with Malu and Lily’s endeavours at

www.youtube.com/MaluAndLily, or speak to them

directly at www.facebook.com/MaluAndLily and

www.twitter.com/MaluAndLily � or of course stop Lily

in the corridor between lessons�(but don’t be late).

Clapton Girls’ Academy held its first

Prize Giving evening on 19th October

to recognise our top students from

2011 in awards such as GCSE, AS

and A2 achievement, Student of the

Year and sports awards. It was great

to see students who left in the summer

return from university to receive their

awards, as well as hear about our

students’ individual successes. Well

done to all our prize winners – you are

great role models for others.

We Be Heroes‘We Be Heroes’, Clapton Girls’ Academy dance

group, boogied their way to a first place victory in

the London regional heat of the United Dance

Organisation's Schools’ Street Dance

Competition on 18th November.

Over fifteen talented schools from London and

the South East provided fierce competition but

they were no match for the troupe, led and

choreographed by talented Sixth Former Sophie

Jemeljanova, who put them through their paces

in rehearsals for many weeks. They walked

away with certificates, medals and an enormous

trophy.

The final competition performances on 3rd

December at the Winter Gardens Opera House

in Blackpool were applauded by an audience of

2,000 people. We Be Heroes were up against

thirty of the best dance groups in their age range

in the UK.

Amanosi Bossey 7P, the youngest member of

the team said; 'I was over the moon to win the

London heat and it felt incredible on stage in

Blackpool in front of so many people.'

See more photos of the show on:http://www.clapton.hackney.sch.uk/cp/extended_schools/clapton_extra/clapton_s_got_talent_2011

To see all the award winners visithttp://www.clapton.hackney.sch.uk/cp/our_school/awards/prizegiving_2011

Fantastic end of term Abba extravaganza

See more photos of the concert on: http://www.clapton.hackney.sch.uk/cp/extended_schools/clapton_extra/abba_concert_2011