Sport is a huge part of life at Croydon High, and we are incredibly proud of our pupils and the reputation we have developed at local, regional and national level. Here is a small snapshot of sporting life at Croydon High.

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The Academic Scholars in KS3 have recently embraced the opportunity to develop their learning beyond the curriculum. Scholars were invited to complete a wider reading project on a topic of their choice. As well as writing up what they have learnt, they came together to present their learning to each other in seminar based discussions in order to develop their independence, confidence and communication skills.

There was an incredible array of fantastic work and it was brilliant to see the girls speak with such passion and conviction.

You can see some of the brilliant work below.

Salma A – Myths, Mummies and Magic in Ancient Egypt
Daisy M-H – Extreme Weather
Ayanda N – Space
Mishika R – Black and British – a short essential History
Janice L- Politics for Beginners
Darashana-May B C – Becoming by Michelle Obama
Aviela G-L – Rogue Economics
Marina A – Horse Breeds
Pavarthy R – A Defence of Abortion
Tamalia LB – The destruction of Pompeii
Lara P – All about the periodic table
Mal M – Medieval Medicine

I am very proud of their motivation and ambition.

Ms Kitty Howie
Second in Charge of English and Academic Scholars’ Coordinator

The Junior School enjoyed their first House Challenge of the year and the cake sale was a roaring success. The house that raised the most money was Seacole.

The total raised for Winston’s Wish charity was £220.30! The sale proved to be a delicious end to the first week back at school.

Mrs Samantha Garrett
PA to Head of Junior School & Junior School Office Manager

In the Junior school, we went on our second Art trip of the year. The Year 5 pupils represented themselves and the school exceptionally en-route and in the gallery. It was a delight to hear their discussions about the artworks, see them sketching and even finishing off notes and drawings on the train on our way home. They impressed teaching staff, the public and the gallery staff. I couldn’t have been more impressed by the curiosity and confidence.

The purpose of the trip was to expose students to a range of artworks in a gallery setting. The year group split into smaller groups with a teacher, but the students led their visit. They focused on artwork that they felt reflected themselves, engaged their senses and provoked questions. It empowered them to engage with the artworks and an Art space uninhibited by the pretensions that can often be associated with cultural spaces.

The diversity and age of the Artworks can be challenging for some and not to everyone’s taste, but our students were open to explore and question artworks.

“The Tate Modern is an incredible art gallery, full of artwork for everyone to enjoy regardless of age.”
Sanaa (5M)

They often selected artworks that surprised us and made interesting personal connections. Some popular pieces that the students explored were:

^{Cildo Meireles, Babel. (Left)
Sand (ringn ‘66) by Barry Flanagan. (Centre)
Yto Barrada, Palm Sign. (Right)}

Sand (ringn ‘66) by Barry Flanagan.

It was made by pouring a hundredweight (50.8 kilograms or 112 pounds) of sand onto the floor. Once 112 pounds (50.8 kg) of sand had been poured, four handfuls of sand were taken from the top of the mound, and one of them was poured down each side which resulted in a pile of sand.

“I really like this artwork because of its simplicity and precision.”
Krisha

Yto Barrada, Palm Sign.

‘My favourite artwork was a three-dimensional ombre palm tree art piece. It was a vivid sight, an array of rainbow speckles all glistening around in a dim lit room.’
Sanaa (5M)

^{Henri Matisse, Snail}

‘It was so surreal to me that famous artists actually produced these artworks, and we were in the room where they were.’
Sophia H

Seeing art in a gallery setting allows us a sense of adventure and discovery that printed images do not. It allows you to fully engage with its scale and tactile quality. Sometimes as with Cildo Meireles, ‘Babel’ it also engages other senses. The girls were delighted at seeing artwork installations and light work that they genuinely hadn’t known could be used as an artistic medium. I hope that many, if not all our students come away from this experience feeling that they belong in these types of spaces. We are fortunate to be situated within reach of so much rich culture.

If you have not been yourself, myself and the Year 5 and 6 pupils would highly recommend it. Just remember that you don’t need to like everything or even understand it. See how it makes you feel and what it makes you think about. Enjoy!

Mrs Claire Bird
Junior Teacher of Art

We are proudly celebrating gardening clubs’ efforts and progress which has been recognised with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Level 3 School gardening award. This reflects the fabulous work that our students have made across this academic year and last, in sunshine and rain.

The award celebrates knowledge and skills for keeping your plants healthy and using planet-friendly approaches when you are gardening, as well as extending the range of plants you grow.

The pupils can name and have grown a wide range of plants including: potatoes, tomatoes, courgettes, carrots, spinach, basil, spring onions, beetroot, runner beans, borlotti bean, sunflowers, nasturtium, calendula, strawberries and iris.

They have worked hard to keep the plants healthy by:

• considering the spacing of the seeds and thinning seedlings to allow the plants space to thrive.
• Around the beds we have laid down cardboard and mulched this with wood chip to prevent weeds growing and retain soil moisture.
• We created our own newspaper pots and then planted these into the ground to avoid disturbing the roots.
• Established a compost bin which is filled each week with vegetables scraps from the school kitchen as well as using shredded paper from the office.

To create a planet friendly garden we have:

• used peat-free compost
• not used any chemicals
• grown from organic seeds
• reused plant pots and created our own pots with newspaper
• created labels from yogurt pots
• reused materials like string to guide and support plants
• reduced our food miles by growing own vegetables.

The pupils and I have learned a lot together in the garden, but we have also laughed a lot. Time spent outside in nature is so valuable for our wellbeing and understanding the world in which we live. When asked about their highlights from the year they all mention proudly the 52 carrots we harvested and the song we made up and sang on repeat about Mrs Bird ‘Being in a leaf bin’.

“Being in gardening makes me feel really excited because I get to go outside and get muddy.”
Bela M (4AJ)

It never fails to surprise me how much fun can be had outside if you’re wearing the right clothes and in good company. I look forward to another year of gardening and working towards our level 4 award.

Mrs Claire Bird
Junior Teacher of Art

Our amazing Sophie (6M) had her hair cut and donated to the Little Princess Trust. Sophie’s luscious locks will be turned into a real hair wig for children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment or other conditions.

Well done Sophie and we’re sure the Little Princess Trust will be very grateful for your donation!

Miss Pendleton
Head of Junior School

Well done to Brontë-Isabella (Year 7) who performed nine shows in the West Wickham Pantomime Society’s adaptation of Treasure Island for the past two weeks.

The Salvation Army New Addington Christmas Appeal

To the staff and pupils,

On behalf of The Salvation Army in New Addington/The Vine Foodbank I want to thank you for participating in donating to our Christmas Family Program.

Your kindness and compassion for others was evidenced in the incredible donations of food and gifts. Thank you for taking the time to consider those families for whom Christmas was going to be a struggle.

It’s important to remember that not only do the gifts and food bring great joy to people but they are also a reminder that others do care and so nurtures a sense of hope in those who are feeling somewhat hopeless.

With your support we were able to help over 160 families through our Christmas referral program and many others who came to our food bank in the run up to Christmas.

We are so grateful that you partnered with us again this year and hope that we may able to continue to work with you in this new year.

We wish you every blessing for 2024.

With sincere thanks,

Emma Spencer
Major
The Salvation Army New Addington

Sheena Pirbhai, Class of 2000

Sheena is on a mission to help and support the mental health of people from all walks of life to positively impact their lives. She was among the Top 100 Asians in UK Tech 2022 and 2023.

Following a degree in land economy at the University of Cambridge, Sheena started her career in finance, working in mergers and acquisitions in the media sector in London before starting her own film finance and production company, Flick the Switch. For over ten years, she produced a collection of award-winning short films and documentaries in the UK and US and structured the finance deals for several feature films and companies in the sector.

In 2018, she founded and is CEO of Stress Point Health, a digital platform building the next generation of mental health tech focusing on long-term brain health. It is the culmination of her personal journey to recover from PTSD following a major traumatic event. Stress Point Health has built the world’s first software solution targeting emotional mental health using digitised Neurofeedback to improve brain health for individuals and in the workplace. Their first product is SPHERE – an app offering digitised Neurofeedback to deal with stress, anxiety and PTSD. Stress Point Health is unique in its focus on the emotional regulation centre of the brain, which is often overlooked in treating stress-related conditions.

Sheena serves on the board of Healthcare First Caribbean Outreach, a company rebuilding the healthcare infrastructure for the Island of Montserrat and is a member of the British Association of Women Entrepreneurs. She is also a mentor for the 2023 cohort of the Innovate UK Women in Innovation award and the Hatch Launchpad accelerator programme – nurturing the next generation of female entrepreneurs. She serves on the board of several of her portfolio companies, advising and incubating start-ups in their early stages of growth. She is also a fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, manufactures and commerce and an associate member of the Royal Society of Medicine.

Croydon High has been fortunate enough to host some of our fantastic alumnae as part of our Academic Scholars’ Programme. Our scholars were so lucky to hear Sheena speak in 2021 about her personal journey and listen to tips to help them become more resilient and better able to deal with difficult situations they may face. Several years ago, Sheena was also an inspiring guest speaker at our Prizegiving celebrations.

We caught up with Sheena recently for a Q&A session:

What aspects of Croydon High School did you enjoy and find most rewarding?

Croydon High was an incredibly diverse and engaging place to go to school. From debating to musical theatre, I loved being able to participate in a wide range of activities.

What did you aspire to whilst at school?

I always wanted to be a leader, continuing to learn and evolve through different programmes. Through Croydon High, I was lucky to participate in the Fulcrum Leadership Challenge and the Duke of Edinburgh award. These opportunities helped shape me as a teenager and helped with my aspirations to be a leader and inspire people.

How did Croydon High School empower you for your future?

Academically, my tutors always pushed me to do my best, and their support and motivation helped me get into Cambridge. I had the most amazing teachers who spent the time to nurture me academically as well as in extracurricular activities. They taught me how to think critically, analyse information and debate each element from different perspectives. I have taken these skills forward throughout my career.

What has been your proudest moment?

One of my proudest moments was coming back to Croydon High and engaging with the next generation of students to inspire them with my story and remind myself of how far I have come. It started at Croydon High, and my time there gave me the tools and strength to achieve so much of what I have today.

What are your hopes for the future?

I hope my work in mental health changes the lives of people around the world. I started Stress Point Health with the goal of helping one person, and we are now helping thousands. I hope to continue this and have a positive impact on society. I hope I can inspire the next generation to know that no matter what obstacles or challenges you face, using that adversity to motivate and propel you forward is the most powerful force there is.

What would you say to your younger self?

Popularity is a contest not worth spending time trying to win. The things that feel important now will change over time.

Mrs Karen Roe
Alumnae Relations Manager