Posted on: 16/01/2020Adobe Competition WinnersThe Abode Spark competition winners had a fantastic opportunity to be the first school to visit the new Microsoft Flagship store in Oxford Circus. Students spent most of the day using advanced editing software to design their own EGA photobooks about their friends’ and their own passions. There was also the opportunity for students to drive a McLaren simulator car and play on an Xbox in the state of the art gaming pod. Students left feeling inspired and empowered about the prospect of working in the tech industry in the future!
Posted on: 16/01/2020Spanish JournalsStudents on last term’s Spanish trip took home not just lasting memories, but also some beautiful journals. In words and pictures, they captured the beauty of Spain and their excitement of the travel experience. Here are a few examples.
Posted on: 28/11/2019Drama Trip to See VassaBy Mahima Khatun-Rahman On Wednesday the 13th of November, as part of our drama GCSE course, we went to the Almeida Theatre to watch an adaptation of ‘Vassa’. The production give us an insight into the life of a malicious and conniving mother named Vassa who will stop at nothing to save her business. She says it’s for the sake of her children, but it is hard to know. Her husband is dying, her brother-in-law scheming, the son is spying and his wife is cheating. The dynasty is crumbling and Vassa is utterly ruthless. She will show no mercy. It was a great theatre experience and very controversial. If you haven't already seen it, they have £5 tickets for under 25s.
Posted on: 28/11/2019Donmar WorkshopBy Lillabelle Aikins On Monday the 18th of November, myself and a collection of other drama GCSE students tumbled out of the cold and into the drama studio for a workshop with a representative from the Donmar Warehouse, preparing us for a show called [BLANK]. [BLANK] is a one of a kind production. Each show is made up of completely different scenes that are based on the real experiences of women prisoners in modern Britain. These stories let us take a glimpse into the lives of women who have come into any contact with prison in a confronting and truthful way. During our workshop, we learnt some surprising facts- only 3800 women are in prison currently as opposed to 77000 men. The next day, we travelled to the Donmar Warehouse in the West End to watch the production. It was challenging to watch; to come into contact with these characters who have suffered abuse, committed crimes they cannot undo, who have been impacted by the choices of the ones they love was painful. It made me realise how complex the justice system is. I hope that in the future, women have more access to the services they need to help prevent some of the terrible things that happen in Britain. To me, [BLANK] is not a show or production, but the story of thousands of women in the UK. It is a call to action.
Posted on: 18/11/2019Raising AspirationsBy Thasrina Ali, Sarah Abukar, Hafiza Ahed in Year 11 On Tuesday 5th November, three of us went to a consultancy firm called Oliver Wyman to take part in an interview for a project on social mobility run by our mayor, Sadiq Khan. We spoke to a lovely woman who asked us questions on our thoughts of any social challenges that we are faced with and our aspirations for the future. The conversation was very reflective as we spoke about the amount of opportunities that our school offers us and we all realised that many schools in London don’t have and we realised how grateful we are for our school and all it has to offer. We were also asked about our thoughts on social issues and we were all pleased that what we said will help to hopefully make changes in social attitudes to people who come from immigrant families. It made us realise how lucky we are to have free education in this country and how we shouldn’t take it for granted. It was an amazing opportunity that we are all thankful for as our words voiced the struggles of many people in this country and we are all proud to have represented many people who go through similar struggles in society as us.
Posted on: 13/11/2019Foundation Learning Trip to the Museum of LondonGirls from Foundation Learning as part of their BTEC vocational course visited the Museum of London. They visited the gallery displaying the historical journey of London known then as Londinium from Roman times to Victorian times. A highlight of this exhibition was walking through the Victorian High Street and reflecting on the ways our high streets have changed. They then visited the a visual story of Beasts of London. Did you know the Tower of London had a menagerie of animals? The trip ended with a picture treasure hunt around the complex walkways of the Barbican. It was a fascinating trip into London's past and present. In just a short walk, you could see old and new architecture, including parts of the original London city wall and a viewing of the Lord Mayor of London state coach.
Posted on: 13/11/2019Tate Britain TripArt and Textiles students went to the Tate Britain on 17th October, to help support them with their GCSE course. Investigating different forms of art and media, students engaged with artwork by finding out the context behind the work. They were then expected to draw an observational drawing of Henri Moore sculptures, applying shading skills to create a three dimensional effect.
Posted on: 7/11/2019Year 8 Visit to the Royal ObservatoryOn Thursday the 7 November, 30 Year 8 students visited the world-famous Royal Observatory Museum in Greenwich. Students took part in workshops, focusing on the latest discoveries in space science. Students explored the characteristics and properties of celestial objects, such as comets. The girls identified and examined different equipment needed to successfully land on a comet. We then explored the challenges faced by engineers and space scientists during the Rosetta Mission to comet 67p. This mission allowed scientists to successful land on the comet and explore it up close, despite challenges faced on previous missions. Digital 3D-images from the Rosetta Mission captured the interest and imagination of our girls. Students then went on to examine the relationship between the tilt of the Earth and seasons, by using digital simulations to review their understanding. A range of activities were completed to test their knowledge on more complex natural phenomena such as phases of the Moon. The afternoon was spent stargazing into the wonders of the night sky and our Universe. The show began with an introduction to the constellations in the sky, and involved a journey beyond the solar system; looking at hundreds of extrasolar planets now known to orbit stars other than our Sun. The planetarium show allowed students to learn more about their closest neighbours in space, and was the highlight for many students. One student described her experience as ‘truly magical.’ A visit to the Royal Observatory is just what’s needed to inspire future astronauts and space scientists.
Posted on: 2/07/2019British Museum VisitOn Monday 24 and Thursday 26 June, the Art and Technology faculty took Year 8 to the British Museum. We visited the Asia gallery and the new Islamic World gallery. We saw some amazing artefacts from all around the world and picked our favourite two to draw. We learned how detailed and intricate the art was from the past 2000 years of history. Prizes were handed out for the best drawings, well done to our winners who won a set of watercolour paints! A great time was had by all.