The day started in The British Museum’s captivating Ancient Greece and Rome section, and we listened to our own Classics students from Year 10 and Lower Sixth explain the artefacts and what we can learn from them. We were fascinated to see how Ancient artists used specific details and emphasised different parts of their works to draw attention to key aspects of their meaning. Some examples of this were three statues of Roman women and the Portland Vase, which helped the GCSE Latin pupils to learn more about love and relationships in Ancient Rome, and Classics pupils to understand further about ancient women.

Many of us were amazed at how old these artefacts were (from as early as 1 A.D!) and how well-conserved they must be for us to still be able to have the privilege of seeing them in real life today. We were also lucky enough to be able to see some stunning works in other areas of the museum, such as the famous Parthenon Sculptures and the awe-inspiring Bust of Ramesses the Great.

After lunch, we made our way to the Bloomsbury Theatre to watch a production of Euripides Bacchae performed by UCL students. Not only was the play incredibly entertaining, but it also gave us an insight into Ancient theatre and helped us to imagine the kinds of stories that were portrayed there. Such a strong representation of tragedy, for example, is not something we would recognise in theatre today – it is safe to say that we were blown away when Agave realised she had killed her son with her bare hands. The emotive acting combined with the riveting plot meant we were gripped by the performance.

This trip also served as a great reminder that Classics and Latin are so much more than the study of dead societies and languages. What makes it so special is that it combines rich history, art, religion, literature, philosophy and more into a single subject, all of which we were able to experience as a result of this trip. As a group, we are incredibly fortunate and grateful to have had the opportunity to witness such impressive and varied artefacts from the Ancient World.

Louise R
Lower Sixth

On the 7 February, we set off from East Croydon station on our exciting journey to Bonn, Germany. We stayed with our exchange partners and spent the evenings and weekends with them, learning about German culture and practising the language. During the week-long stay, we experienced and took part in many fun activities such as visiting interesting museums, rock climbing, ice skating and going into cities like Cologne and Bonn. On the weekend, we went to the Carnival where we caught lots of Kamelle (sweets)! On Tuesday, we went on a walk up ‘Drachenfel’ and there were many pretty views of the River Rhein. On Wednesday, we sadly had to say ‘Auf Wiedersehen!’ to Germany and we embarked on our trip back to London.

Milly R
Year 9

After an early start and a long travel day on the Eurostar, lots of my friends and I arrived in Bonn and were greeted at the station by our German exchange partners. Though we were extremely tired that night, we met our exchange family and freshened up after a long day. The next day we dressed up in our Karnival outfits and got ready for an early start (their school started at 7.55) to a fun-packed day. Karnival is a German holiday that is celebrated by attending parades and singing and dancing. After school ended at 11am, many of us headed either home or to a parade. The rest of the week included so many fun activities such as ice skating, hiking, sightseeing, eating lots of German food and in my case visiting the (strangely clean) German hospital. I had an amazing time on this trip and I want to say a huge thank you to all the staff involved!

Jessie H
Year 9

This year’s 75th exchange was one of the best experiences I have had by far. We did so many fun activities such as ice skating, bouldering and going to the Haribo factory for sweets! As well as this, we also got to experience German culture and what it was like in school and to have a regular life in Germany. We got to go to a German carnival and shout “Kamelle” for sweets which was very different to England. If you are ever considering doing an exchange, I would definitely recommend doing one as this was a really fun and good experience. Thank you Frau Sigusch and Herr Symes for a great trip!

Chloe A
Year 9

A few weeks ago, we launched a rocket design competition in the junior school. The budding young Astrogazers were given the task of creating their very own rockets and have been making models out of anything they could find in their homes – from straws, to bottles, to tin cans, to Pringles tubes! We were delighted to receive over 30 entries and we were blown away by the stunning creativity of them all! We were looking for a rocket that was intuitive, creative and showed the sheer enthusiasm the students have for space.

At Astrogazers, we are passionate about getting the young girls in the junior school more involved in STEM. By introducing a range of competitions and events, Astrogazers is able to provide the younger years with a more detailed, fun and engaging approach towards STEM, preparing them for what they may come across in later years. Few careers in STEM are known to many, and it can be hard to know what to look up and aspire to become. Our rocket competition was one of our steps in getting every girl in the school involved in STEM in a way in which they can aim high and reach for the stars (quite literally with their incredible designs)!

One of the most impressive features of these model rockets was the mobile element included by many! It provided a more exciting approach to the challenge that we did not expect from such a young age group! It was truly wonderful to witness the great amount of imagination and originality that was within each of the rockets submitted and it proved extremely difficult to choose our winners.

For one aspiring Astrogazer and future engineer, our competition was taken one step further. Emma (Year 3), designed, constructed and launched her very own model rocket that she 3D printed herself! We were amazed by all the skills she demonstrated, especially her scientific approach during the lead up to the launch, which she documented for us in her very own video. She carried out stability tests, measured masses and even ran simulations before launching her rocket. And afterwards, just like a professional, she gave an interesting response to the entire process. It was touching to see how we had really inspired the younger generation and sparked an interest within them to learn more about Astrophysics and this absolutely fascinating side of STEM in general! Emma should be really proud of herself and definitely deserves the highest praise of well done for all of her hard work and efforts. Watch Emma’s rocket preparations and launch.

We are so impressed with the quality of all the entries, as well as the creativity expressed by each and every one of them. So much detail and thought was put into every design and each one was perfectly unique and cleverly made. We would just like to congratulate all the budding Astrogazers who took part and are very excited to be announcing the winners after half-term!

See all of the incredible rocket designs here and here.

Anaiya S
Crew Operations & Resources Engineer

Isla M
Flight Director

Aashka P
Assistant Flight Director

Each class performed its own curated showcase of individual and group performances and for many pupils this was their first time performing on the stage in front of a packed audience. We were very impressed with their confidence.

Ms Cotton arranged for us to enjoy a special welcome message by poet Georgie Jones, who is Resident Artist at the Roundhouse in Camden and one fourteenth of Poetry Collective. She inspired us with her good wishes and an exclusive poetry reading!

Many audience members commented on how younger siblings, in particular, were inspired by the power of poetry. We would like to share with you an online anthology of the diverse poems written by our budding poets.

Miss Kitty Howie
Second in charge of English and Academic Scholars’ Coordinator

Participants in the Young Reporter scheme from Years 10, 11 and 12 took part in their second mentoring session with professional journalist Diana Jarvis, who writes for This is Local London– the online newspaper which the students are writing for, as a part of their online working experience programme.

The scheme invites pupils to write articles on local news. The programme runs over eight months, and those participating will write and upload one article for each of those months. During this time, participants receive multiple exciting opportunities, such as tickets to the press event for the launch of the Hampton Court Palace ice rink, in exchange for writing a review.

In the session, pupils were instructed on how to structure their articles, including how to reference people when using quotes, and how to engage readers with their first sentence. The importance of writing accurately was expressed, and we learnt about important topics such as defamation and libel, which professional journalists have to be acutely aware of. Diana also answered questions the young reporters had regarding their articles, as they are currently halfway through the programme. These questions covered topics from how to find ideas, to how to find a suitable title and the importance of writing in a concise and engaging style.

The session was informative and useful, as it gave the participants a more in-depth insight into what it’s like being a journalist. One of the participants, Jorjah Walters, described the session as “really beneficial” and each participant took away personally relevant advice, to help them progress on their journey as a journalist.

The young reporters have four more months on the scheme, after which, if they have met the qualifying criteria, they will be able to enter a national competition: The Young Reporter National Awards. Two of this year’s cohort have already had some of their work selected to be published in the Student Comet, an associated online publication.

We wish our budding journalists all the very best!

Beyza C
Year 10

Reception were treated to a workshop by Mrs Bird as part of her role working for Greener and Cleaner. Greener and Cleaner is a Bromley-based charity that aims to inspire people to have a green living lifestyle and to embed sustainability into their everyday lives. In this workshop, Mrs Bird introduced Reception class to some of her animal ‘friends’ and the girls then identified the ‘friends’ that were native to England and the UK, and those that are not. The children learnt how to tell the difference between insects and other animals before finding out about bees in more detail. Although initially some of the girls said they were scared of bees, after gaining lots of knowledge about how important they are to humans and the planet, the girls were keen to try to protect them. They created a fantastic array of posters, reminding others to grow wildflowers to help our pollinators. It was great to see how engaged the next generation are in protecting our planet and all within it.

Mrs Emily Wragg
Reception Class Teacher

Lower and Upper Sixth A Level Drama & Theatre pupils went to the Lyric, Hammersmith Theatre to watch Frantic Assembly’s adaptation of Kafka’s ‘Metamorphosis’ Directed By Scott Graham. We thoroughly enjoyed the use of choreographed movement which helped portray relationships between characters. It enabled us to understand our set text more and see it come to life. We loved the lighting and set design used as it was very innovative and helped convey the social and cultural context of the play, our highlight was the swinging lightbulb and use of the secret compartment in the bed used as a stage entrance. We all had a great time!

Maddie W and Emily M
Upper Sixth

Upload your kms

Sunday 25 Feb by 3pm – Fit Feb 2024 – week 4

Or email fitfeb@cry.gdst.net by the deadlines above – must include your house and evidence.

How to take part

Whether it’s running, Yoga, HIIT or golf, you can rack up those kms or convert your workout using our activity conversion chart. At the end of each week, please submit your distances.

Pupils and staff can fill out a weekly Google Form and those without access can email fitfeb@cry.gdst.net

Please include the following information in your email:

• Distance (km)
• House or Croydon High School Group
• Evidence (screenshot of the fitness app workout or photo of details on the fitness machine)

Google Form* and email submissions dates and times:

• Sunday 4 Feb by 3pm
• Sunday 11 Feb by 3pm
• Sunday 18 Feb by 3pm
• Sunday 25 Feb by 3pm
• Thursday 29 Feb by 11.59pm

View all information about Fit Feb here and be ready to get active!

_{*Google Forms will be sent out for each week, so keep an eye out in your emails.}

Mrs Sue Beck
Head of Community & PE Department

Love not Hate – Fundraising Talent Showcase celebrating London’s best young talent to honour all lived impacted by knife violence in our communities.

Saturday 2 March 2024 at 6pm – Whitgift School

Some of our talented Sixth Formers have been invited to perform at this important event which aims to raise awareness and funds to support the Manju Shahul-Hameed Foundation for Mental Health which is one of the Mayor of Croydon’s designated charities.

Tickets are available via Eventbrite

^{Download the flyer}

Chloe Potter, Class of 2000

Chloe is an experienced presenter, journalist, broadcaster, and entrepreneur based in Tokyo. She is skilled in voice-over, news writing, radio, television, media production, event moderation and broadcast journalism. She has extensive TV and radio experience, including Sky News, Five News, Magic FM, Monocle24 and NHK, a Japanese public broadcaster.

Chloe co-founded London-based production company Middle Table, specialising in creating high-quality broadcast productions for commercial networks and corporations. It all began in the centre of the Channel 5 Newsroom, where there was a table around which people gathered for meetings and brainstorms that would shape the day’s outlook, which stories would be told, and how. It also happened to be the place where you would find an endless supply of treats: birthday cakes, sweets, Monday pick-me-up doughnuts and Friday biscuits to celebrate getting through the week. It was known as the Middle Table, and it helped spawn a thousand programmes and one very sweet-toothed production company… Middle Table clients range from political parties to multinationals like Google and broadcasters including Sky, Bloomberg and the BBC. Middle Table’s skill base covers all areas of video production with experienced journalists who are particularly good at finding the narrative hook to make a film memorable.

Chloe recently launched her own podcast, The Guidance Library. In every episode, she speaks to a therapist, coach, or expert who takes the listener through therapeutic tools and techniques. She created this series because she believes everyone deserves access to this kind of support. She hopes it will help people live with greater ease, balance, and joy. ‘I am driven by curiosity. I have always been told I ask good questions and want to put that skill to good use.’

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

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

I loved speech and drama at Croydon High. There were plenty of big productions and opportunities to perform; we also took part in festivals. We enjoyed great facilities at school and had wonderful, encouraging teachers.

What did you aspire to whilst at school?

I dreamed of being an actor.

How did Croydon High School empower you for your future?

I think the Croydon High ethos encouraged confidence, independence, and curiosity.

What has been your proudest moment?

Giving birth to my first child (and my second and third). I made three human beings, and it’s hard for any other achievement to compete with that. Putting that to one side. Academically, I am proud of getting to Oxford University. Career-wise, I am proud of so many things, all the different layers that I continue to accumulate in my career: Acting professionally after I graduated, a stint working for British Vogue, becoming a newsreader for Sky, building my own production company, covering the Tokyo Olympic Games for Channel 5. The challenge of maintaining a satisfying career alongside having a family takes creativity and resilience, and I am very proud of how I have managed to do both. I am currently living in Japan, and in this chapter, I am hosting podcasts, doing voice work, teaching yoga and menstrual cycle awareness and running retreats—so many different experiences. I’ve enjoyed them all. They have all been enriching in different ways.

What are your hopes for the future?

That I continue to embrace new experiences and to learn new things. There are many more chapters still to come!

What would you say to your younger self?

You don’t have to choose just one career or path. You can pursue lots of different interests and passions during your life. So, follow what feels most warm to you. Don’t feel lost; focus on taking the next step that feels right to you, and trust that it will all pan out beautifully. Sometimes, it’s only when you look back that you see how everything fits together.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us?

Take note of what it is that lights you up. What has always come easily to you? For me, it’s communicating. That is a thread through everything I have done. I love to communicate and connect. I always have, ever since I was a little girl. Knowing what it is you love and what it is that you are naturally good at is such a guiding light.

Mrs Karen Roe
Alumnae Relations Manager