The brief was to engineer a way to move an object, a “radioactive meteorite”, 2 metres while all humans remain 1 metre away. The meteorite must also not be dropped! Our challenge saw the invention of innovative systems and products. It was fantastic to see how the Year 8s worked together, used their imagination and made their ideas a reality.

Inspiring the challenge – and taking on the role of top judges for this GDST Women in Engineering Challenge activity – are Croydon High Alumnae; Thandi Ngoma, Lizzie O’Leary and Kirsty Martin.

I am most appreciative of their insights into engineering, support with this initiative and encouragement to all of the students to embrace diverse ways of thinking, believe in themselves as young people and young women and to engage in teamwork and collective problem solving.

They kindly answered pupils’ questions in these interviews on:

1. Becoming an Engineer
2. Life in Engineering
3. Top Tips.

From our Year 8s:

“Personally I really enjoyed the freedom we had within the brief…that freedom really allowed us to be creative and use our own ideas from scratch, rather than following instructions.

I think perseverance was really important with this challenge, as the first ideas we had…were not very effective and we realised quickly that it would not work. There were also some conflicting ideas within the group, so we decided to start making both of the strongest ones and test them both, relying on the one that worked best for the end result.”
– Zia

“I enjoyed the challenge of trying to think outside the box and working as a team because I could look at other teams projects, see the faults and work on ours to improve.

We faced a problem when we discovered it took a while to get the meteorite in and out of the box. It was not very accurate and might fall. We cut a hole in the bottom of the box so we could easily pour the meteorite out of the box. We then discovered we could pinch up the meteor quicker by putting it through the hole and quickly scooping it up.”
– Holly

While other GDST schools celebrate and send in their competition entries, we keep our fingers crossed for victory in the first year that the GDST initiates the Women in Engineering Day Challenge.

Ms Jade Greaves
Teacher of 3D Design and Art

The recital in Croydon Minster was a public concert held in a stunning venue, and we were thrilled when the reception class from the Minster School arrived to watch our pupils play.

The concert opened with Lara, who delivered a wonderful rendition of Kreisler’s Schön Rosmarin on violin. Her strong tone and articulate playing brought out the romantic melody beautifully. Following this, Alice captivated the young audience in particular, with Tournier’s 4th Sonata on the harp, showcasing her exquisite technique. Olanna then took to the piano, delighting us with a wonderfully contrasting interpretation of Mozart’s Allegro from his Sonata in F. Charlie followed with a graceful performance of Beethoven’s Romance No. 2, perfectly capturing its lilting rhythms and romantic content.

Next, Fallon sang a heartfelt rendition of Bob Dylan’s ‘Make You Feel My Love’, which added an emotional depth to the concert. Ariel’s performance of Corelli’s Adagio on the cello demonstrated excellent technical skill and lyrical sensitivity. Zoe then enchanted us with Scarlatti’s Sonata in D on the piano, her performance marked by technical precision and masterful musicianship. The concert reached a climactic conclusion with Keira’s mesmerising saxophone performance of Josef Balof’s Gypsy Songs, characterised by its beauty, complex rhythms, and her relaxed playing style.

Congratulations to all the performers for wowing the audience and inspiring future musicians. I eagerly anticipate our next visit to the Minster in the new academic year.

Mr Suranyi
Director of Music

On Sunday 23 June, around 60 GDST string players from ten different schools across the South East descended on Sutton High School for an amazing musical event. Each school nominated some of their most talented string players for the first GDST Strings Day. Coaching was provided by principals from the London Mozart Players, who led sectionals and played with the pupils, sharing their expert knowledge of the repertoire.

This event offered an excellent opportunity for girls from various regions to unite for a day of collaboration and performance in a focused and stimulating environment. Throughout the day, participants learned new pieces and revisited familiar ones under the guidance of esteemed conductor Otis Lineham, who was appointed Assistant Conductor to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in 2022.

The repertoire included Warlock’s Capriol Suite, the second movement of a string quartet by Florence Price, and Piazzolla’s Libertango. Additionally, the members of the London Mozart Players treated us to the first movement of Mozart’s second divertimento, written when he was only 14 years old!

The event was a resounding success, providing an inspiring and empowering experience for all participants. Playing alongside some of the finest musicians in the country and within the GDST community was a remarkable opportunity for everyone involved.

Mr Suranyi
Director of Music

Huge CONGRATULATIONS to Alice H from Year 4 for being chosen as the second place winner in the Young Coders Competition 2023 out of almost 600 teams from all over the world.

The Young Coders Competition is for children aged 7 to 13 and each year, children are challenged to make a game using Scratch that aligns with a particular theme. This year’s theme was ‘Time and Space’ and Alice’s Scratch game had lots of interesting facts about space and the creation of the earth. The judges said that her game “worked seamlessly and was incredibly enjoyable to play”.

Play Alice’s game on Scratch.

Mrs Maya Krishnamurthy
Enterprise Technology Teacher | Head of Junior School Enterprise Technology

For the final buddy event of the year, the girls in Early Years and Year 6 were treated to a farm visit. This was particularly exciting as instead of going to the farm, the farm came to us and set up on the school field.

The girls were so excited to see a variety of different animals including ducklings, a sheep, a goat, a bearded dragon (called Jim) and a Shetland pony who was a firm favourite with everyone. All the girls were able to stroke, hold or feed the animals and it was lovely to see Year 6 showing their buddies how to be careful and calm when holding them. They were great role models for the younger girls.
All the girls have had a fantastic year with their buddies and this event was a wonderful way to end it.

The Ivy Link community recently celebrated its much-anticipated Sparkling Summer Tea Party. This delightful gathering was a memorable occasion, bringing together alumnae and former staff from a span of 70 years, as well as guests from 21 different locations from Berkshire to Yorkshire and as far as France and America. We were especially pleased to welcome 34 first-time attendees to an Ivy Link event this year. We hope this experience will be the first of many, fostering a lifelong connection with our vibrant community.

The event became a melting pot of memories, stories, and shared experiences. In addition to our general celebration, we highlighted special anniversary years, including 1954, 1964, 1974, 1984, 1994, and 2004. A special acknowledgement was given to the Class of 1981, who celebrated 50 years since beginning their senior school journey.

An engaging exhibition showcasing the rich history and achievements of our alumnae was open for browsing. Annabel Davies gave a heartfelt welcome, and guests raised their glasses in a toast to Croydon High and also to absent friends, celebrating their memory and presence in spirit.

Guests enjoyed delicious refreshments while mingling and reconnecting. The entertainment segment added a delightful touch to the event, engaging the attendees. Our special guests took guided tours of the school, which brought more memories flooding back.

Huge thanks to our fantastic Senior Prefect team, who were incredible hosts welcoming, serving and conducting school tours.

The Ivy Link Sparkling Summer Tea Party 2024 was more than just a gathering; it celebrated our shared heritage and the bonds that unite us. We look forward to seeing everyone at future events and creating new memories together.

Mrs Karen Roe
Alumnae Relations Manager

The Year 2 Drama Club, run by Mrs Connery, had their final session on Monday, and due to the LAMDA exams being held in the drama studio, they took their amazing (and adaptable) acting skills outside. They had been looking at scripts, and they performed excerpts from Town Mouse and Country Mouse, thinking carefully about the direction and how the projection of their voices outside was important. They were presented with well-deserved certificates of achievement as it was the last club before the end of term.

Save the date!

Croydon High School 150th Charity Golf Day
Friday 20 September 2024
Croham Hurst Golf Club

Fundraising for the forthcoming sports tour to South Africa in 2025

Last year, we ran the Colour Run event for some Junior and Senior pupils which proved to be very successful and popular even though it got rather messy!!

We would like to open this up to pupils in Year 5 and above.

There will be different races depending on age groups:

• Year 5 and 6
• Year 7 and 8
• Year 9 and 10
• Lower Sixth and staff.

Pupils will be required to run/walk for a period of time whilst having paint thrown at them.

To secure your child’s place, an entry fee of £5.00 will need to be made via your ParentPay account by Friday 28 June 2024.

This fee will provide them with powder paint (the colour powder is non-toxic and made using natural ingredients) which they can throw while spectating the other categories. Pupils will need to provide their own white t-shirts.

We are hoping that as many pupils as possible will take part and enjoy this event to celebrate the end of term and support the sports tour.

Mrs Sue Beck
Teacher of PE & Head of Community

Following on from their successful production of Our House in 2021, The Mitre Players, one of Croydon’s leading amateur dramatic societies return to Croydon High School’s Drama Courtyard in July this year.

It’s alive! From the creators of the record-breaking Broadway sensation The Producers, comes this monster musical comedy – Young Frankenstein. It’s a wickedly inspired re-imagining of the Frankenstein legend based on the Mel Brooks’ classic comedy film masterpiece of the same name. The story follows bright young Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (that’s Froderick Fronk-en-steen) as he attempts to complete his grandfather’s masterwork and bring a corpse to life. Together with his oddly shaped and endearing helper Igor (that’s Eye-gor), his curvaceous, yodelling lab assistant Inga, Frankenstein succeeds in creating a monster — but not without some (comically) scary and quite often hilarious complications.

Featuring over 20 catchy songs, imaginative choreography, colourful costumes, a live band and impressive scenery and effects, we promise you an evening (or afternoon) to remember.
Mel Brooks combines many of the elements of the original 1931 film with his own brand of anarchic, irreverent, risqué and over-the-top humour – you have been warned! Parental guidance is recommended.

Performances are Wednesday 17 to Friday 19 July at 7.30pm and Saturday 20th July at 2.30pm.

Tickets are available now

We are excited to announce a special summer holiday childcare opportunity in collaboration with our partners at Camp Beaumont. From Friday 14 – Monday 17 June, they are offering a flash sale with great prices for childcare provision this summer.

Prices are as low as £40 per day when you book for the entire week or £45 for individual days. However, please ensure that you use your host school discount code (CHS24) to receive a further 10% off these prices. Secure your spot now and ensure your child has a fun-filled and enriching summer holiday experience.

As an added incentive, the school that books the most days by the end of Monday will receive a bonus of £500 for the Parent-Teacher Association. It’s a win-win situation – secure your child’s spot at a great price and contribute to our school community at the same time.

Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity. Book now for the best value of the summer and provide your child with a memorable summer holiday experience.

Book your place today