Leadership Likes: Ms Davies
This week, Ms Davies reminisces about her last Christmas spent in Hong Kong.
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This week, Ms Davies reminisces about her last Christmas spent in Hong Kong.
Read MoreWhen the Autumn Term draws to a close, I always think there is a little magic in the air. Nativity plays, concerts, talent shows, the school Winter Fair, Carol Services and, of course, this year, more than a little sprinkling of snow! There is certainly something very magical about snowfall although I cannot deny that it was a bit of a shock after five years living in a hot and humid climate!
I spent last Christmas in Hong Kong and it was definitely a different one for me. This was the first time I had been away from the UK at Christmas in my life. The strict travel and quarantine restrictions that the territory had in place in response to the pandemic meant that leaving Hong Kong would have meant a three week stay in another country and then a three week stay in a quarantine hotel, six weeks in total! Therefore, there was no choice but to stay in Hong Kong for Christmas!
Christmas Eve evening was spent outside with friends on the waterfront of Victoria Harbour, none of my usual Christmas traditions in sight. Christmas Day itself involved a ferry journey and a sampan to an outlying island called Cheung Chau where twelve of us celebrated Christmas Day on a rooftop with the turkey being cooked on a barbecue! I remember thinking at the time that, although I missed my family, I knew it would be an experience I would never forget.
Christmas 2021 made me reflect on the fact that sometimes things happen and you have no choice but to go with them. The bit that can be a slight surprise is actually they are going to help form some of the best memories. As we toasted Christmas Day on that rooftop, all far away from our families, there was still a lot of joy and laughter all around. When I reflect on events such as this or others I could mention, I realise that sometimes things that you would not necessarily choose or situations that you find yourself in, can in fact be positive life-changing experiences. Last Christmas I learnt about the power of resilience and the importance of friendship. So as I put up my tree this year, I put on a little decoration of the iconic Hong Kong star ferry; it will always be there in my heart even though I am looking forward to a traditional Christmas this year. And as you prepare for the festive season, however that looks for your family, I do wish you a happy and peaceful holiday spending time with those who matter most.
Ms Davies
Head
In this week’s Alumnae Spotlight, we celebrate a pioneering Croydon High student who was breaking the glass ceiling over 140 years ago…
Read MoreEdith Brown Class of 1882
Dame Edith Mary Brown, DBE LRCP was born in Cumberland in 1864. Her father died when Edith was five and in 1874 her mother and five daughters, including Edna, returned to the maternal home in London. Edith and her sister Lucy were amongst the first pupils at Croydon High School.
Her vocation as a medical missionary was clear to her from the age of seven when she first heard accounts of the suffering of Indian women, because of their lack of medical care.
After leaving Croydon High in 1882, Edith gained a scholarship for Girton College as one of the first women to be admitted to the University of Cambridge, where she took the Natural Science Tripos in 1885. After graduating, she studied medicine and qualified as a doctor in 1891.
That same year The Baptist Missionary Society sent Edith to India and in 1894, she helped open the North Indian School of Medicine for Women, aiming to train Indian women to serve in the field of Medical Education and Health Care Services. With no more than £50 a year donated to her, she rented a school building and took in four Indian female students to train and work in the 30-bed hospital in Ludhiana. It was the first medical school in Asia to care for women by women. “Miss Brown’s Hospital” as it was known became famous far and near and it was officially renamed Christian Medical College Ludhiana in 1911. By 1916, the Punjab government officially recognised the college, which was by then training more than 300 women in its medical, nursing, pharmacy and maternity schools.
In 1932, Edith was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire and was awarded the Gold Kaiser-i-Hind Medal by the Indian Government for Public Service in India. Edith officially retired in 1942 aged 76, but still lectured in surgery in her 80s. During Partition in 1947, the hospital became an emergency centre for the seriously injured. Dame Edith, at 81, was seen as a tower of strength in a disintegrating world. It was said that despite violent street fighting, she would always walk to the hospital bearing her trademark sun-helmet and umbrella. Shooting ceased and a hush fell until she reached the safety of the hospital door. Once, a wild mob demanded that all Muslim women be handed over or everyone would be attacked. It was reported that Edith rebuked them gently and sent them shamefacedly away. By the 50th anniversary of Edith’s arrival in India, the College had graduated 411 doctors, 143 nurses, 168 pharmacy dispensers and more than 1,000 midwives.
Edith died in December 1956 in Srinagar, India, aged 92.
School Magazine 1943: On July 22, 1942, we celebrated the Jubilee of Dame Edith Brown’s medical work among the women of India. We devoted the day to exhibitions, plays and talks about India. In the morning Dr. Margaret Balfour gave us an account of the founding of the Ludhiana Hospital and Medical School for Women. Just over £50 was made, which was sent as a jubilee gift to Ludhiana College, and is to be used for some special purpose after the war is over.
School Magazine 1957: From the beginning, Croydon High School had always been intensely interested in Ludhiana, and the Guild sent a regular annual subscription to the Christian Medical College, and gave special contributions to the funds for the extensions to the College and Hospital. Miss Adams (Headmistress 1936-1960), present and past members of the Staff, the Head Girl and the Senior prefect attended a Memorial Service of Thanksgiving which was held in London.
Edith’s College still operates today; an acclaimed and accredited international centre of academic medicine, which now trains postgraduates in medicine. The College is situated on a large campus, not far from Ludhiana Railway Station, on both sides of Brown Road.
Sources: Dr Christine A Joy, School Archivist, Manchester High School for Girls; Women Humanitarians, A Biographical Dictionary of British Women, Active between 1900 and 1950, Sybil Oldfield; Miss Brown’s Hospital by Francesca French;
Mrs Roe
Alumnae Relations Manager
We enjoyed a spectacular evening at Croydon High's annual Carol service at the Minster.
Read MoreOn Wednesday 14 December Croydon High’s Music Department treated us, once again, to an evening of absolutely exquisite choral and festive music, raising spirits as the autumn term draws to a close.
The service, combining nine readings interspersed with traditional and contemporary musical arrangements, really showcased the talents of our pupils and their dedicated teachers. From the hauntingly beautiful introduction of the Hodie chant, sung by Head Girl, Eleanor followed by Once in Royal David’s City, performed with such confidence by Matty in Year 7, to the talented trio of Lottie, Aila and Sophia who harmonised so beautifully performing, Jesus Christ the Apple Tree.
Our Year 5 and 6 choir’s heart-warming performances of That First Christmas Day and O Come and Join the Dance were very much appreciated by the congregation as were the breath-taking sounds of the Senior and the Chamber Choirs, whose voices rang out with such purity in the still air of The Minster, as they performed Gabriel’s Message with solo performed by Evie W, taken from an old Basque Noël, and Tsaba, Tsaba a traditional Botswanan piece, and the sublime O Holy Night. The Year 7 and 8 Choir also delivered the Danish traditional carol, O Come Little Children beautifully, showing such promise for the future of our choirs. Special mention to our talented Sixth Form duo, Liv H and Aila who sang the haunting and unusual, Mary, Did you Know?
During Blended’s acapella take on Silent Night, we took the opportunity to honour our first Headmistress (1874 to 1902), Dorinda Neligan, whose memorial plaque is in The Minster. Upper Sixth’s Amelia laid a wreath of roses and ivy to recognise the legacy of this inspirational woman. There are too many highlights to mention here.
Thanks to all those whose readings contributed to the ambience and left us all full of Christmas spirt. This was manifest in the warm appreciation from families as they left the Minster, as well as in the generosity to the retiring collection. We are delighted to be able to send £452.60 the Croydon Churches Floating Shelter; an amazing organisation which supports the homeless in the Croydon area. Ms Davies declared herself to be ‘thrilled and proud’ at the end of her first Carol Service as Head, saying it was certainly one of the highlights of the term.
Many thanks to all those ‘behind the scenes’, especially Ms Vaughan, Mrs Roe, Mrs Beck and our wonderful catering and premised teams. Thank you to Mrs Webb, for being Mrs Webb and bringing that sparkle. And a final word of appreciation for our Music Departments, Senior and Junior, who worked so hard to deliver such a memorable occasion, especially of course to Mr Suranyi who brought everything together in a crescendo of festive joy!
Mrs Cook
Director of External Relations and Philanthropy
60 hours packed in by our talented Art & 3D Design students for mock exams!
Read MoreIt has been an exciting few weeks in the Art & 3D Design Department, no less than 60 hours of exams! They have worked incredibly hard in the preparation, and we have seen installations, chairs, lights, sculptures, paintings, textiles, printmaking and mixed media. Every student has chosen their materials to work with and they have developed, experimented, refined and practiced over the last few months in preparation. We could not be more proud of their achievements, all groups will now be given their exam papers after Christmas and will spend eight school weeks preparing for their real exams in April/May.
These past two years have been challenging for these practical groups, but they have risen to every challenge, they have used their problem solving and creative thinking skills with fantastic outcomes and we cannot wait until the Exhibition this year.
All students and parents are welcome to the summer exhibition 2023, and we especially encourage those in year 10 and 12 taking these subjects and those that are going to be taking up GCSE and A Level next year. It will be an incredible evening showcasing our students’ amazing talents. The exhibition will be on Wednesday 14th June 4.00 – 7.00pm in our main school hall and we hope to see you there.
Mrs Smith
Head of Art & 3D Design
Critically acclaimed author, journalist and TV presenter Candice Brathwaite will be visiting us in January!
Read MoreCandice Brathwaite – critically acclaimed author, journalist and TV presenter, is visiting us in January!
We are very excited to announce a fantastic opportunity for our senior school students: the brilliant Candice Brathwaite will be visiting Croydon High on Friday 20th January 2023.
Candice Brathwaite is a critically acclaimed author, journalist and TV presenter whose first book made it onto The Sunday Times bestseller list. Candice will be discussing her first Young Adult novel Cuts Both Ways, which was published in August. You can also listen to Candice’s recent Raise Her Up podcast that was recorded earlier this term where she talks about her writing, self-belief, growth and the importance of male allyship.
Signed and personalised copies of Cuts Both Ways (£7.15) and Sista Sister (£9.15) are available to buy via ParentPay. The books are being supplied by the wonderful independent bookshop Tales on Moon Lane. They will be available to collect at break time on the day, when pupils will also have the opportunity to meet Candice and ask her any questions.
Why not purchase it as a late Christmas present for your daughter? Please make sure you place your order by Tuesday 10th January 2023.
We are looking forward to what promises to be an inspirational day.
Mrs Lee
Marketing & Communications Manager
What a treat to have Paralympian and multiple medal winner, Tanni Grey-Thompson visit us this week!
Read MoreA crew from the BBC, along with Paralympian and multiple medal winner, Tanni Grey-Thompson visit this week
We were incredibly honoured to have had multi-medal winning Paralympian, politician, broadcaster and House of Lords Member, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson come in to share her inspiring story of success as she overcame adversity with grit and determination, as part of #BBC100 ‘Share Your Story’ Tour. Our students were absolutely captivated and eager to ask her lots of questions! We were very proud of them, particularly when we received such positive feedback from the crew and from our VIP guest, not just about the standard of questions but also the general attitude of our pupils, which they said were amongst the best they had seen at schools they had visited.
It was a particularly inspiring event for girls involved in sport as the Baroness encouraged them to keep going even when training and competing becomes challenging. Equally, her story could be applied to so many different scenarios and provided all our students with inspiration and confidence to pursue their passions and dreams.
The BBC Crew and presenter, Jasmine Takhar were fabulous and made time to chat to our students about careers in the BBC. They also spoke about the BBC’s Young Reporter Competition and encouraged all our girls to enter for the chance for their stories to be heard on radio, TV or online.
Mrs Lee
Marketing & Communications Manager
The Amnesty International group at Croydon High take part in this year's Amnesty Write for Rights campaign.
Read MoreHuman Rights Day has long been marked at Croydon High by the whole-school participation in Amnesty International’s annual Write for Rights campaign.
This year the mass letter-writing event featured people who have had their human right to peaceful protest curtailed.
Our Amnesty International & Activism Club meets once a week and are made-up of students from year groups across the senior school. Last week, the Group led an assembly to tell the story of four people detained and awaiting trial, including: Russian Sasha Skochilenko for opposing the invasion of Ukraine, and Cuban Luis Otero Alcántara for planning to join a public demonstration against censorship legislation.
The assembly also showcased two powerful poems on human rights penned by Club members.
The empathy and energy of this long-established activism at Croydon was indeed recognised by School Inspectors, who had evidently keenly felt the undercurrent of social conscience that permeates our corridors during their 3 days spent immersed in our school:
“…pupils are extremely good at working collaboratively to benefit others, and to make a very positive contribution to both the life of the school community and to wider society
…. the strong support for the annual Write for Rights campaign, which is promoted by the Amnesty international club, shows that pupils have an excellent understanding that charity is not just money-raising exercise.” ISI inspection report 2022
Indeed, as community we have garnered a large bundle of hand-written letters which the Club will urgently post out to those 4 people. We just hope our letters of solidarity go towards giving them strength to pursue their human right to speak out peacefully – a freedom we exercise every day at school and know through their oppression to be very precious indeed.
Thank you to the whole school community for their support. If any pupil would like to become involved in our group, even if they are not able to make our weekly meetings, then please see Mrs Tooke or Ms Yam.
Better Together by Megan Webber
Everything is fine,
It’s not that deep
Keep things to yourself
Sleep with one eye open,
Head down, stealing looks at the cameras snapping obscenities, stop following me,
“Mind your business” has turned into a crisis that’s spread across nations, radio stations where petitions for those in prison doesn’t cut it anymore
It’s protesting,
not an uproar, glass shattered on the floor, type of protest
now to stand the rest of time it’s set to the March of a heartbeat,
sheets of blank canvas ready to be painted with the shades of change
Colours merging, surging through the cups of tea at the family functions
Junctions between mine and yours
Rises like the tides, with the times, bubbling to say more
And more and more
Scoring our own masterpieces of movement
So it’s not good enough is it?
Cause it’s not your relatives?
It’s not your country?
It’s not your identity?
Whilst these things get deeper and deeper, let’s loosen the noose and hold out a hand for those sinking
Seeing we’re stronger
And knowing we’re better together.
‘The Point’ by Matty Manion Y7
People ask what’s the point,
My voice won’t be heard
They won’t care, so what’s the point,
In spreading the word
Feelings, experiences,
I can’t sympathise with,
So what’s the point,
Why should I try
A river of tears so long, so deep,
That it will likely never dry
But we should help because we must,
Because these are people like ourselves, who cannot live like us
We will help them because we can,
All together we can,
As a small group we can,
Just you yourself, can make a difference however small,
As it will be a change,
Maybe today that change will come,
Maybe the next,
We can make a difference.
A round of thanks from charities that Croydon High school have been supporting this year through various fundraising initiatives.
Read MoreSave the Children
Thursday 8 December was a rather special and uplifting day at Croydon High. The whole Senior School joined millions of people up and down the country to help “make the world better with a sweater” On Christmas Jumper Day in aid of ‘Save the Children, it was wonderful to see the many different, colourful, decorated and sparkly jumpers around school. There was a lovely atmosphere along the corridors throughout the day and a sense the festive period was fast approaching.
Thank you to all the students and staff who supported the event and helped raise £755.95 for this amazing charity.
Salvation Army
In addition, Emma Spencer from the New Addington Salvation Army came to school last week to pick up the various generous gifts kindly donated for the Salvation Christmas Boxes. She was overjoyed by the amount of wonderful gifts and said our donations will help make Christmas a little bit more special for the 163 families in need that they are helping.
Macmillan Cancer
A huge well done to 9B who despite the weather, still managed to organise a cake sale on Monday and Tuesday this week to support Macmillan Cancer.Lots of tasty treats on offer with sales raising £136.92 for this worthwhile cause. Congratulations to Sophie C and all of 9B.
Finally, a massive thank you for your on-going generosity over this last term. We know this is a difficult time for many and our Croydon High community continues to do a fantastic job helping and supporting so many fantastic local and national charities and causes.
Happy Christmas, everyone!
Mrs Beck
Head of Community
What a wonderful way to end the term with a pantomime production of Peter Pan for the whole of the Junior School!
Read MoreThe whole of the Junior School visited the Fairfield Halls on Wednesday morning for the pantomime production of Peter Pan. This was the first whole school trip any of our girls had been on and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The girls were swashbuckling with Captain Hook and cheering on Peter Pan, even the staff joined in!
Mr Johnston
Assistant Head of Junior School
A Level English Literature students enjoyed lectures based on ‘Love Through The Ages’ at this year's English In Action conference.
Read MoreOn Friday 9th December A Level English Literature students went to an English In Action conference and listened to a series of lectures based on ‘Love Through The Ages’ from multiple speakers including Professor Emma Smith from the University of Oxford and Professor Peter Howard from Queen Mary University of London.
We learnt about a variety of love poetry throughout history, specifically the works of Shakespeare and Christina Rossetti. We particularly enjoyed the talk on ‘Couples, Triangles, Wrecktangles’, which discussed how no one writes a poem for one person alone. We learnt about how love is shaped by social, political and historical factors, and how this is shown through novels such as ‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles’, which we are currently studying. This conference was very enjoyable and also provided insight on how university lectures would be presented.
Lower Sixth student Isabella said, “The day was interesting as it gave me helpful insight into my learning.” Lili agreed, finding the lectures, “Very insightful and useful for contextualising further work.”
Thank you Ms Howie for organising the trip!
Nina D and Tabitha P
A Level English Literature students
A STEM workshop learning to build a prosthetic hand from everyday materials.
Read MoreTwelve Year 8 and 9 academic scholars who had expressed an interest in Science took part in a STEM workshop hosted virtually by the Smallpiece Trust on Monday 12th December to build a prosthetic hand from everyday materials.
Pupils were given instructions on how to create a template of their hand and then had to create tendons using string and straws. The pupils engaged in the task really well, and many of them created working joints for all five fingers in the time allowed. The task enabled them to develop their problem-solving skills as well as gain an understanding of the Biology of the hand alongside engineering skills.
Mrs Conrad and Mr Coley were really impressed by the determination, dexterity and perseverance the pupils demonstrated during the workshop. Pupils said that the workshop was fun and they enjoyed the challenge of the task.
Mrs Conrad
Head of Science
Our Lower Sixth chemistry students enjoyed an informative lecture at the Emmanuel Centre.
Read MoreLower Sixth Chemistry had the delightful opportunity to visit the Emmanuel Centre in order to attend Chemistry in Action. The eventful and informative day consisted of exciting chemistry lectures ranging from how chiral materials work to the chemistry behind explosives. We left the event feeling inspired and it sparked our curiosity for chemistry. A big thank you to Ms Bhugalee for organising this successful trip.
Mrs Howgego
Head of Chemistry
Season 2 Episode #8 – features Ellie Flynn, an investigative journalist and documentary maker who specialises in undercover operations around gender equality. She is talking about her forthcoming documentary Undercover Sexual Harassment: The Truth which is available to watch on All 4.
Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast.
Our School Minibus service offers an efficient and flexible option designed to help families with journeys to and from school. Minibus travel is offered to pupils in Year 3 and up.
The service is managed on our behalf by Vectare, a specialist school transport management company. All bookings for our school bus routes are made via our online booking system, which can be accessed at croydonhigh.vectare.co.uk.
The website allows you to book travel 24/7 from anywhere, meaning that if you need to leave early for work one morning or are running late and you would like one of our students to travel on a school bus as a one off, you can make a booking right up until the route is due to depart. Payment for the school bus service is made at the time of booking, so there is no need for pupils to carry cash.