Leadership Likes: Mrs Wilson
This week Mrs Wilson reveals her feelings about coming back to Croydon High as Interim Head of the Junior School.
Read MoreWeekly News
Find out what is happening at Croydon High this week.
This week Mrs Wilson reveals her feelings about coming back to Croydon High as Interim Head of the Junior School.
Read MoreI can honestly say I am thoroughly enjoying my time back at Croydon High School in the role as Interim Head of the Junior School. It’s busy, but whenever a free moment looms, I find myself thinking about why this can possibly be the case.
Retirement is definitely something that many people actively count down the days towards and my brief encounter with it reminded me of the pleasure of knowing my time was my own. Time when I could decide what I wanted to do each day, when the day could progress, slowly or quickly, as I meandered through each week. Where a whimsical urge to get on a train to London to visit an exhibition or a gallery was a fairly regular occurrence or to be able to take advantage of a discounted matinee to a musical or a play or the simple joy of a coffee and a stroll with a friend.
When waiting for my alarm to ring at some unthinkable hour, I’m sometimes searching to justify what it actually is that still makes my working life so enjoyable. My thoughts have just highlighted why the career path that I chose and the journey on which it took me, was the correct – the only – one for me. The reasons just seemed to flow. It’s mainly being in the company of our amazing young people. It’s their innocence, their enthusiasm, their willingness to have a go, their enjoyment of simple pleasures, their smiles at the gate in the morning and their appreciation, their acceptance, and their trust. It’s the uncertainty of how the day will progress, and above all, it is being in the company of adults and leaders who gain such pleasure from their working lives, for the very same reasons.
My return to Croydon High School has given me permission to reflect on all of this and to appreciate this school’s unique and rich community which I see demonstrated every single day. It has allowed me to look back at all the many things I have always loved about being part of a GDST school (and perhaps to look forward to a slightly less structured programme once again!).
Mrs Liz Wilson
Interim Head of Junior School
This week we are delighted to spotlight award-winning author, Anna Mazzola.
Read MoreAnna Mazzola Class of 1996
Award-Winning Author Anna Mazzola
After leaving Croydon High School in 1996, Anna read English at the University of Oxford before attending the London College of Law.
Anna is a writer of historical thrillers and Gothic fiction. Her novels explore the impact of crime and injustice. She is also a writing coach at The Novelry, a worldwide creative writing school with online courses; a career path for writers to become published authors.
Anna’s debut historical crime novel, The Unseeing, won an Edgar Allan Poe award in the US. Following this, our Croydon High World Book Day 2017 concluded with an evening with Anna, who enthralled the audience with fascinating insights into the world of books and publishing. A memorable photograph was taken with Anna and Croydon High English teachers spanning 34 years – Judith Forshaw, Jonathan Vickery, Gill Sharpe, Janet Pascoe and Veronica Duggan.
Her third novel, The Clockwork Girl, set in 18th century Paris, reached number 11 in the Sunday Times Chart and was a Sunday Times paperback of 2022. Anna’s fourth novel, The House of Whispers, is a ghost story set in Fascist Italy and will be published in April 2023. Anna also writes legal thrillers under the name Anna Sharpe, the first of which will be published in 2024.
Real crimes and scandals often inspire her novels; Anna loves discussing stories and structure and has been workshopping and critiquing for many years. Anna has conducted several workshops for Croydon High pupils, notably as part of our online Arts Week during lockdown.
Anna understands the challenges of fitting writing around work and life. When not writing or tutoring, Anna is a human rights and public law solicitor specialising in cases arising from the criminal justice system. She has over ten years of experience in dealing with civil and judicial review claims against the police and other state bodies, plus inquests and public inquiries, with an emphasis on the rights of victims of crime.
She is also Senior Consultant at Centre for Women’s Justice, a feminist legal charity whose mission is to hold the state to account and challenge discrimination in the justice system around male violence against women and girls.
Anna remembers… “Croydon High nurtured my strange writing and reading instincts. My first attempt at a crime novel was written shortly after joining Croydon High: The Kidnapping of Lucy. The plot centres on the abduction of a baby called Lucy (my little sister’s middle name), and I gave it to my mum on Mother’s Day! I still remember many of my English lessons, particularly those taught by Mr Vickery and the late Susan Loewe. Through the close reading of texts, she was the first person to really show me what language could do. In the Sixth Form, I was awarded a prize for creativity, despite my entry being some bizarre, illustrated poem about trains and pylons!”
Jonathan Vickery, Anna’s former English teacher told us “As well as having an outstanding academic record at school, Anna was a formidable debater – she and her partner were emphatic winners of a very competitive Senior School Championship – and it was not hard to imagine her career as a passionate and highly persuasive advocate. That she would also be a best-selling novelist was perhaps a bit less predictable but is not at all surprising.”
We asked Anna the following three questions:
What is your fondest memory of Croydon High?
“I’d say my fondest memory is being Wendy in Peter Pan (I can never hear Orinoco Flow by Enya without thinking about it!).”
What would you say to your 15-year-old self?
“To my 15-year-old self, I would say many things, but most specifically, ‘Your weight and appearance are far less important than the other things in life. Focus on learning, friendship and creativity instead.”
What are your aspirations for the future?
“My aspirations for the future are to be able to continue writing and publishing novels about subjects that fascinate me and perhaps also to move into screenwriting. Mainly, I wish for the happiness of my children.”
We are confident that Anna will continue to flourish in her writing and legal careers. Perhaps we will see one of her books adapted for the big screen! We hope to see Anna back at Croydon High soon!
Mrs Roe
Alumnae Relations Manager
We are delighted to announce that we have two new members, Mrs Ros Broyd and Ms Nailah Fraser-Haynes, joining our School Governing Board.
Read MoreMrs Ros Broyd
Mrs Broyd’s links with Croydon High School span more than 50 years. Moving to the Croydon area at the age of 14, she became a pupil in the Senior School. Many years later her own daughter attended the school from Nursery to the Sixth Form and Mrs Broyd joined the teaching staff where she shared her passion and skills in Drama for 19 years.
Mrs Broyd holds a Bachelor of Education degree from Newnham College, Cambridge and has wide experience of teaching in primary and secondary schools in both the public and independent sectors. A class teacher in the initial years of her career, she discovered that her greatest passion lay in sharing her skills and expertise as a Drama specialist and she developed a rich programme of study in the Junior School. She has directed and made costumes and props for countless productions during her career at Croydon High as well as being involved in external amateur companies and youth theatre groups.
Preparing pupils for LAMDA examinations has been an important part of Mrs Broyd’s work at Croydon High over the years. Many have developed their confidence in public speaking though these classes and have achieved exceptional results in a variety of disciplines.
Retiring from the staff of Croydon High in 2022, it is with complete commitment to the school that Mrs Broyd is looking forward to the transition of her role from pupil, to parent, to teacher and now to a member of the Governing Body.
Ms Nailah Fraser-Haynes
Ms Fraser-Haynes is a Senior Partnerships and Knowledge Exchange Manager at the Rail Safety and Standards Board, an independent safety, standards, and research body for the GB rail network. She is also a champion for Health and Wellbeing at work.
She has over 10 years’ experience in relationship management, brand development, and strategic partnerships, including planning and strategy development for collaborative partnerships and networks.
Passionate about communication, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Language from King’s College London, and in her spare time enjoys reading, reviewing, and blogging about books.
As an alumna, Ms Fraser-Haynes has lived the Croydon High experience first-hand, and still has fond memories of her time in the Senior School. She looks forward to continuing to support its mission in this role as a Governor, to empower girls and young women, and encourage learning without limits.
Our 'Ready 4 Reception' event will be taking place on Thursday 23rd March 8.45 – 10.15am
Read MoreThursday 23 March
8:45 – 10:15am
We are holding a special event for all girls who are due to start Reception in September 2023 and we would love you and your daughter to come along. Places are limited so if you or any of your friends would like to attend, please register here.
Thank you so much for all your support in spreading the word.
We will be running a series of fun activities for the girls, with the opportunity for parents to chat with current Croydon High parents as well as hear from our highly experienced staff about what to expect, what they can to do to help prepare their daughters for this next big step and why Reception is such an exciting chapter in her Junior School journey. We are incredibly fortunate to have the space and the facilities to offer the very best environment for learning, with newly refurbished classroom facilities. The first few years of school life are when children particularly benefit from our smaller class sizes with plenty of one-to-one support. Have a look at our latest video below:
Mrs Katy Lee
Marketing and Communications Manager
After an incredible four live performances of Jesus Christ Superstar, Mrs Webb and pupils across the year groups have taken time to reflect on the production.
Read MoreWhat an amazing experience we have had creating and performing Jesus Christ Superstar! This has been our most successful production to date at Croydon High – I’m so proud of EVERYONE who was involved from the lead roles, to the stage crew to the art scholars who created our fabulous posters and palm leaves.
The most memorable moment for me was during our final performance on Saturday evening – when the cast walked into the Hall for the opening of the show to applause and cheers from our packed audience, I knew this final show was going to be incredible and you didn’t disappoint! Well done, my superstars! You are THE BEST!
Mrs Emma Webb
Assistant Head (co-curricular)
I loved it when I accidentally fell down the stairs behind the set and I made a really loud noise when I fell. What made me laugh is that no one cared, they just walked off set not even knowing I fell.
Ivy E
Year 7
My favourite part of the show was when Judas was about to kiss Jesus and I was about to come on. I had the hiccups and suddenly did the biggest hiccup in the silence. It was really loud and everyone backstage heard it, we all suddenly started laughing and I had to go outside and get some water! I loved being in the show because it was really fun and well done too everyone in it!
Lula P
Year 8
My favourite part of the show was rehearsing the songs The Temple and Jesus Christ Superstar. I enjoyed how everyone was involved and was able to show lots of emotion. The costumes were also another highlight of the show because everyone was comparing which costume was the ‘worst’. I loved being involved in this show because I made many friends and great memories!
Alexa H
Year 8
I loved playing my role in JCS and ultimately my favourite part was being able to do this show with my friends. I thought all the costumes, songs and work that had gone into the production was phenomenal and as a school we delivered a fantastic performance. I enjoyed making friends with new people and gaining new experiences. Everyone who took part should be incredibly proud of themselves.
Ava G
Year 9
My favourite part was in the dress rehearsal when we all put our superstar costumes on and rushed to get on stage but they were the wrong size for some of us and we were all laughing and embarrassed.
Eleanor R
Year 7
My favourite part was when it was the opening night show and we were backstage in the corridors getting ready to go on and it was what’s the buzz and we started yelling the wrong lyrics really loudly and didn’t realise until backstage crew pointed it out we all started laughing and carried on singing the right lyrics.
Ela C
Year 7
I loved singing and dancing along to the songs backstage while I was waiting with the cast and holding the curtain open. I am also really proud of my friend Sasha because they absolutely nailed their solo 🙂 I had a really lovely time and I cannot wait to audition and be part of the cast next year! It was definitely one of the best Croydon High musicals that I have ever been in.
Nina D
Lower Sixth
I really enjoyed Jesus Christ Superstar. It was a great experience for me because it was my first ever production. I had so many funny times during the show and I loved getting the flowers from our family and friends.
Hannah F
Year 7
I really enjoyed helping out backstage and singing along to all the songs with the cast. It was a really fun experience overall!
Jorjah W
Year 9
I really enjoyed the whole experience, especially collaborating with the older years and getting to know them better. My favourite part was the last performance because even though we all were a bit tired, we all had such an amazing afternoon which we had all worked so hard for.
Zoe L
Year 7
I loved working as the cast of Jesus Christ Superstar because the experience for me actually felt unreal and exciting. I loved being part of the dancers in Herod’s Song and Superstar because our costumes were like the stars of the show and just working together to create the amazing choreography to perform was just so much fun. There was one moment when there was an audio of people cackling and everyone just started to laugh with the sound while the backstage crew was telling us to stop because we weren’t meant to. Overall, it was the best experience ever and I cannot wait to take part in more musicals in the future 🙂
Sarah H
Year 7
I loved being part of the production of Jesus Christ Superstar. One of my favourite parts was getting to know some of the older girls who performed the main roles. They made it really fun and entertaining for us backstage. A few of my favourite songs were Herod’s song, Heaven on their minds, Pilate and Christ and The Temple. One of my favourite moments was when the ensemble was reaching up to Jesus in the Temple. And one of my favourite parts backstage was when we were shouting the wrong lyrics to ‘What’s the buzz’ and the backstage crew had to tell us to stop and we were so loud!. I can’t wait to be involved in more musicals in the years to come.
Bonnie S
Year 7
I absolutely loved participating in Jesus Christ Superstars this year, as not only did I get to perform live in front of a live audience but I also got to make new friends in different years. My favourite moments were when me, my friends and a couple of other Year 9s were playing top trumps and we all got really competitive. Hopefully next year the production will be just as good as this one.
Naima B
Year 8
JCS was an amazing experience that allowed me to explore my acting and dance journey so much! There was a strong sense of community even when tension was rising high and we helped each other all the way through. My fondest memory and the one that stood out to me the most, was how much of a fantastic community Croydon High has, especially as a Year 7 and still quite fresh to the school. As well as being an actor I was also a dancer and there was a point that required a quick change. I struggled to put my shoes on and without hesitating one of the other girls grabbed one and helped me get it on. Without that support I would have never been able to make it in time.
Aviela G-L
Year 7
JCS is most definitely one of my favourite shows to watch and perform. The staging was so different to what we usually had and it was a really big experience. My favourite part was the Jesus Christ Superstar dance. I loved the outfits and how we all came on stage together to celebrate the end of the performance. Another part that I found quite funny is when we were all cramming to get up or down the stairs to our next scene change.
Annabel H
Year 8
Little Ivy’s ran a ‘Segment of Science Initiative’, where our tots had the chance to explore solids, liquids and gases.
Read MoreFirst up, tots and carers set off to the North Pole to the land of ice and snow – eager to meet the Polar Bears. Subsequently they trekked off to the South Pole to meet the Penguins. With spoons in hand, they prodded and poked the solid ice and watched it melt into a liquid. The following week, Croydon High’s creative catering team produced a jelly for the tots to investigate. This was no ordinary jelly, it was a giant vegetarian showstopper jelly! At first, the tots were wary but then they used some of the Happyland people to prod and poke it. They bounced the Happyland people on it and watched it wobble whilst they touched it, smelt it, squooshed, squashed and squished it.
During the third week, it was time to investigate air. This was a little tricky as we can’t see air but tots discovered it exists. Tots did a lot of huffing and puffing as they blew through straws to propel their boats across the soapy seas. By this stage, our top tot scientists were well and truly into their exploration of gases. The next moment, a toddler was blowing into the water with the realisation bubbles were being created, another tot joined in, then another and another – soon we had a raft of bubbles. Tots investigated and extended their own learning! It was a truly perfect moment.
During the penultimate week, a tray of Oobleck was the focus. Oobleck is a mixture of cornflour and water, it can pour like a liquid but it can be as hard as cement when compressed. Finally, at Little Ivy’s last session of the term, tots explored blue soapy foam (air bubbles which are separated by a liquid).
Ice, jelly, blowing through straws, Oobleck and blue, soapy foam – Little Ivy’s tots loved our ‘Segment of Science Initiative’, the only problem they want to do it all again! Don’t worry tots – we will!
Little Ivy’s would like to thank Croydon High Digital Leaders for showing our tots how to program a robot – the toddlers had fun and we were very impressed with their demonstration and explanations.
Anita Reeves
Little Ivy’s Stay and Play Supervisor
Year 3 were delighted to welcome Mr Binefa (father of Yoli, 3J) on 9 February, who enthralled them with details of his amazing trip to Antarctica. He showed them the most incredible photos and video clips of his adventures: they marvelled at him sleeping under the stars in a sleeping bag; jumping into the icy sea in just his swim shorts; the awe-inspiring ice landscapes; attaching albatross sized wings to Yoli; and the enrapturing film clip he showed of penguins diving in and scrabbling to get out of the sea, and then pooping!
A big thank you to Mr and Mrs Binefa for your amazing presentation and for taking the time to come in and see us.
Mrs Susan Vaughan
Junior School Teacher
Year 5 pupils took part in GDST Junior Sing event at Woolwich Works.
Read MoreOn Tuesday 7 February, our Year 5 pupils set off early in the morning by coach to take part in the GDST Junior Sing event at Woolwich Works in collaboration with seven other GDST schools. After a day of rehearsals, the girls performed together in a concert to parents, staff and Headteachers. They had a wonderful experience and it was a joyous and memorable occasion for everyone involved. We are extremely proud of our girls who sang and represented Croydon High so well. Year 5 girls have worked extremely hard during their Music lessons this term in preparation for this event and they were very excited when they found out that they would be conducted by the composer Lin Marsh on the day! They also had great fun performing the body-percussion pieces with Ollie Tumner from ‘The Beat Goes On’.
Miss Sarah Delany
Head of Junior School Music
The first of three Masterclasses proved to be a voyage of discovery for all attending, captained by our own Mr Kazi who led the audience into the unchartered waters of vectors and forces.
Read MoreOn Wednesday 15 February, we were delighted to welcome back the Year 9 Mathematics Masterclass series to the School, in conjunction with the world renowned Royal Institution. The Mathematics Department has a long association of running the Masterclass series, inviting in over fifty pupils from local schools from the Croydon area, along with ten of our own pupils. The first of three Masterclasses proved to be a voyage of discovery for all attending, captained by our own Mr Kazi who led the audience into the unchartered waters of how vectors and forces, and more besides, can be applied to real life applications, such as pinpointing exactly where a pizza will be delivered when ordered from a mobile device via a satellite! We look forward to two further Masterclasses on the 1 and 8 March and discovering more fascinating applications of Mathematics.
Mr Ben Rew
Head of Mathematics
A group of Music students headed to London where they were treated with the opportunity to see the opera ‘Carmen’.
Read MoreOn Monday, we visited the London Coliseum on Monday evening to see the opera, Carmen, by Bizet.
The plot is as follows:
It follows the story of a young new soldier, Don Jose who leaves his childhood ‘sweetheart’, Mikela, to head to join the army, where he meets the fiery gypsy woman, Carmen, who seduces all men, but Don Jose catches her eye in particular. Even though he is very hesitant at first, he slowly falls in love with Carmen, after letting her escape from ‘prison’. However, the love fizzles out and bull fighter Escamillo enters, and Carmen catches his eye. After a tarot card reading, it’s revealed that Carmen is going to die. The last scene was very intense where Don Jose enters, demanding Carmen’s love, and when she denies him, it results in the death of Carmen.
Even though the set and design were pretty simple, the quality of singing was outstanding with the soloists demonstrating such perfect control of their voices. Especially from one of the most famous songs in the opera, sung by Carmen, Habanera, which was paired perfectly with the duet between Mikela and Don Jose, ‘Parle moi de ma mere’ (tell me about my mother). The characters were very intense throughout the whole show with the portrayal of extreme emotion beautifully accompanied with melodies that were recognisable. Overall this was an amazing opportunity and a great production of the opera, Carmen.
Nayana N
Year 11
We are proud of our team of four Year 12 Chemistry students who took part in the Chemistry Race competition on Saturday 4 February at the University of Cambridge, Department of Chemistry.
Read MoreThey competed as a team, solving challenging Chemistry problems. The fierce competition took the format of a race, with each team allowed up to 4 questions to solve at one time, and they could only receive further questions once these were solved, trading in correct answers for the next questions.
Our team competed against mixed teams of Upper and Lower Sixth Chemistry students from some highly prestigious schools from all over the UK. Being solely a Year 12 team, with not enough exposure to tackle some of the more challenging problems, we didn’t make it into the top 5 teams. But are hoping to train up and head back for another go next year!
Well done Sibel, Anya, Treasure and Gajivana!
Mrs Harriet Howgego
Head of Chemistry
The focus of our session was to help the pupils improve their footwork and attacking skills.
Read MoreDuring our Sixth Form PE lesson last Friday five of us had to the opportunity to coach a netball session at Greenvale Primary School. We had a group of 15 pupils ranging from 9-11 years old. The focus of our session was to help the pupils improve their footwork and attacking skills.
We started the session with a fun warm up of mountains and valleys, to get the pupils running around and we then split the group into Year 5 and 6. This allowed us to give more specific training to a smaller group.
Our session consisted of several drills looking at passing ahead and practising the correct footwork. This was followed by a competitive game of killer and finished with them playing a match.
This was a great opportunity for us all to practice our umpiring and encourage the pupils to think about the skills they have learnt. This was the highlight of our week and hope the Greenvale pupils felt the same. We hope to do it again in the near future.
Jemima J
Lower Sixth
This week saw the start of the much anticipated Whole Senior School initiative: Future Thursdays and the Skill Up programme.
Read MoreEvery Thursday in form time up until Easter, students across the Senior School will be encouraged to consider a question regarding their own future and career development. The idea is to assist our students in exploring a wide range of careers and also guide them to think about the type of person that they want to grow up to be.
The Skill Up programme will take place on Thursday lunchtimes and is connected to house points. The idea is that students sign up to learn at least one new skill that will set them up for their future. From ‘How to Train your Brain’ to ‘How to Disagree’ and more there is much for every student to learn and hone. Students have been encouraged to sign up to secure their place via SOCs.
Thursdays are also connected to the Pathways programme where the Lower Sixth are assigned mentors to guide them through their imminent applications and future plans.
All in all, Thursdays have become a rather integral day in the Progression and Futures department and I, for one, am delighted!
Dr Lakha-Kassam
Head of Progression and Futures
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.