Elizabeth Smith, Director of Teaching & Learning and Head of Art and 3D Design at Croydon High School says:

“Mrs Webb and I are absolutely delighted with the news that we have received an Artsmark Gold Award, over the last four years we have been working on our statement of impact and as a school community developing our provision for the Arts and Culture within our curriculum and we are looking forward to developing our journey even further.”

^{(Girls taking part in Arts Week 2023 at Croydon High performing in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and creating furniture out of newspaper)}

The Artsmark Award is the only creative quality standard for schools, accredited by Arts Council England. It supports schools to develop and celebrate arts and cultural education, putting creativity and wellbeing at the heart of the curriculum. Artsmark ensures every young person can be creative and access a diverse, high-quality cultural education.

Dr Darren Henley CBE, Chief Executive of the Arts Council, said:

“I would like to congratulate Croydon High School on their Artsmark Award. Becoming an Artsmark school demonstrates that through offering a broad, ambitious, and creative curriculum, every pupil can develop character and resilience, increasing their knowledge, curiosity and skills that will remain with them through to adult life.”

^{(Over 100 pupils from Year 5-Year 13 take part in the annual school musical – Jesus Christ Superstar in 2023 with 140 due to take part in Beauty & the Beast in 2024)}

In the report from the Artsmark assessor, it said:

“You clearly value the arts as an integral part of your curriculum at Croydon High School, and recognise their contribution to your (co-curricular mantra) of ‘Alis Propriis Volat – She Flies with Her Own Wings’. As a result of your firm commitment to promoting arts and culture within your setting over this first Artsmark journey, you have seen GCSE and A Level numbers increase across all arts subjects, culminating in an exciting build project of a new drama space and 3D Design workshop.

Students’ learning is being enriched through the provision and uptake of an enhanced array of interesting arts clubs, and your offer of education visits to arts and culture venues. Girls enjoy regular opportunities to showcase their work in productions, exhibitions, recitals, competitions, festivals (including the Coram Shakespeare Schools Festival and Edinburgh Fringe) and in your regular Arts and Culture Weeks, resulting in increased engagement, and raising their profile of the arts with parents, and the community.

Your young people are also afforded the opportunity to gain further arts qualifications, such as LAMDA and Crail Awards*. Participation in, and creative responses to, UCL’s Beacon Schools programme has deepened students’ knowledge and understanding of the holocaust and the importance of fighting racism. Your partnership with the Ice and Fire Theatre Company has promoted the values of tolerance and respect, including for those with protected characteristics, including the LGBTQ+ community and those who are displaced and seeking sanctuary.

Through the enhancement of your co-curricular programme, involvement in the arts has increased, and some older students have been involved in the leadership of delivering creative activities to younger girls. Senior leaders are working with your Sixth Form Prefects in Discussion and Action groups across a variety of topics. You are in a strong position to champion the arts and grow your sphere of influence beyond your school.

We greatly look forward to hearing how you continue to build on your current successes and, hopefully, influence and support other settings and evidence the difference this makes.”

_{(SHE performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2022)}

_{*The Crail Award is our KS3 co-curricular engagement award, named after a former governor of the school Richard Crail, a firm supporter of the Arts.  The KS4 and KS5 co-curricular engagement award is Alis Propriis Volat}

^{(Junior and Senior Students collaborating to paint ‘Gloria’ the Giraffe – a collaborative piece of art for ‘Croydon Stands Tall’ to raise awareness for CRISIS)}

Croydon High School also have some alumnae who are excelling in the Arts and their work can be seen here:

• See Croydon High alumna Helen Chadwick’s work in ‘Women in Revolt’ 8 November – 7 April, Tate Britain
• See Croydon High alumnal Rhea Dillon: Alterable Terrain until 1 January, Tate Britain
• See Croydon High alumna Daisy Collingridge first solo show until 11 November, TJ Boulting
• See Croydon High alumna Caroline Ip’s curation of ‘It all starts with a thread’ until 31 December at the Whitechapel Art Gallery

^{(Rhea Dillon – Tate Summer 2023 Issue 58)}

Can you tell us about your role?

I will be working with our members of staff to help them use digital technology more effectively in teaching our pupils, to improve both the efficiency and impact of their practice.

As we believe that our pupils should and can aspire without limits at Croydon High, what are your key aspirations in this new role?

Every job has some bits which are more enjoyable and some which can be a little bit tedious, and I am hoping to be able to show our staff how technology can make the more tedious parts less onerous, and give them more time to do the more satisfying portions.

(I also believe that technology, used well, can make the fun bits even more so, both for staff and for pupils).

Do you have any hidden talents or hobbies?

I think my musical talents are probably my most publicly visible ones, but I love being in the kitchen, and my wife  – and her family – would say that my cooking skills are pretty impressive too, and probably a key part of how I won her heart.

What advice would you give your 15-year-old self?

My 15-year-old self was actually pretty grounded, and I would probably just emphasise what he already knew, that:

• People are going to notice how well you treat others more than your academic or financial achievements.
• Don’t treat others well just because you might gain something from it. Be kind because it’s the good and right thing to do.
• “Success” is a terrible teacher, and failure and mistakes are huge opportunities to learn and grow.
•  Privilege can blind us to the fact that not everyone has the same background and experiences. Be open to hearing about others’ when they speak, and be careful about judging others thinking they should have made decisions or turned out like you.
• If you somehow get into a position where people listen to what you have to say, use that influence to help others who don’t have such a voice.

Share a memorable time where you felt proud, empowered, aspirational or have shown kindness to others or kindness was shown to you.

I always feel very proud when any of my students find themselves doing something they never thought they could, and former pupils come back to tell me that there was something I did or said that encouraged them to commit to it, and stick to it when things got tough. This is as true for those who have become successful film composers, game music composers or trumpeters as it is for those who have gone into other professions or become brilliant parents. We don’t have an unlimited time here on earth, and I feel very lucky that I will be able to look back on my life and see that I have made a difference in ways that matter.

Mr Johann Ting
Teacher of Music & Music Technology and Technology Integration Specialist

The preparations for the Sixth Form Fashion Show featuring Whitgift and Croydon High have been in full swing this week. The catwalk staging is up, costumes are organised and the Bollywood dances knock our socks off with their incredible choreography!

As a Sixth Form, we are so excited to share these amazing catwalks and dances this weekend, and we are so happy that all of our hard work is paying off.  

Our Head Girl team have been working particularly hard to organise the event to meet the standards that were set last year, while also making this Fashion Show unique and exciting for the audience.  

All of our funds will be going to two charities: Winston’s Wish, a charity we are supporting in memory of Mrs. Pattison and Lettie, and Young Minds. There will be opportunities to purchase raffle tickets and refreshments, and all proceeds will go to these charities.  

After showing the blooper video of our rehearsals in Monday’s assembly, we hope that everyone is as excited for the 2023 Fashion show as we are! 

Look out for a write-up and pictures in next week’s NewsLinks.

Rebecca G
Lower Sixth
Sixth Form Correspondent

We have had activities ranging from jazz music by Dizzy Gillespie at lunchtime, to online quizzes during Late Club, on various aspects of black history – from black british servicewomen in the second world war to political leaders and sporting champions.

The main display in the LRC has continued to create interest, and books borrowed were replaced. 

Faith B-A (7S) wrote some lovely poetry during the half-term break. You can read some of Faith’s poetry below:

Opening Haiku

Let’s go back in time
When black girls fought for justice
All those years ago

Short Poem

How can I learn to fit in as an individual black girl?
All those women before me lead a path to freedom and rights
I must not stay silent.
And I will stand for justice like Rosa Parks and Ida B Wells once did
To fulfil my destiny and make my aunts of liberty proud.

Rhyming Poem

A heart with wings
An artist’s soul
Ambition is everywhere
To find its place at home
Beyond the waters
Across the sky
Ambitions to the moon
“Till the day we die
There will always be one woman
The start of a fresh new line
Like how Dr Mae Jameson does
Until the end of her time
We boldly mark our place
Like the constellations in the sky
Whether it’s down below
Or way up high
This is just a day for blacks
To remember when they were finally recognised
But it really doesn’t matter
As no one should be criticised
Although there are other individuals
Varied from black to white
Life is still gonna be imperfect
So fight the good fight.

We are looking forward to reading more from Faith’s poems in the years to come. 

The displays are on view until Monday 6 November, but the weeks’ activities will conclude on Friday 3 November with a House Music Quiz. A wonderful variety of music including Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Billy Ocean, Alicia Keys, Pharrell Williams and more! We are looking forward to hearing the results from each house.

Thank you everyone for your support making Black History Month enjoyable and a success.

Ms Angela Rolle
Learning Resource & Innovation Hub Manager 

We enjoyed a fantastic day of colour, music and history in the Juniors on Culture Day. Our journey began with a parade around the playing fields, showing off the fantastic outfits the girls had put together to represent their own cultural influences. We saw traditional dress from countries around the world, together with the fabulous flags the girls had decorated to reflect their unique identities.

^{Culture Day 2023 Junior School parade}

We were lucky enough to be joined by Millie Mensah, a designer and author who herself is a Croydon High alumna, class of 2003. Millie led our Culture Day assembly in Juniors and showed us her book, Migration – Journeys Through Black British History. She explained what writing her book was like, and how important it is that we learn about Black History as an integral part of all British History, from Roman History through to the present day.

^{Author and alumna, Millie Mensah, shares her book Migration – Journeys Through Black British History}

In the afternoon, we held a very special showcase of performances from Junior girls, presenting different aspects of their cultures. We saw some wonderful dancing and heard incredible singing. We heard the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar in German, and learned about Islamic marriages. A group of Senior girls visited our showcase and performed some fantastic dance routines. It was so heartwarming to see our girls present their cultures with such confidence. It is a day we hope will be repeated in the future!

Mrs Nikki Crossfield
Assistant Head (Pastoral and Outreach) of Junior School

Dr Hannah Platts, Class of 1998

Hannah Platts is a Senior Lecturer in ancient history and archaeology. Her research interests revolve around the material culture and social history of ancient Rome, particularly the factors which impact status display and social hierarchies in the Roman domestic sphere. Her first book, Multisensory Living in Ancient Rome: Power and Space in Roman Houses (Bloomsbury 2019), examined the physical experience of daily life and ritual in the Roman house. By looking at diverse sensory experiences, such as sound, smell, touch, taste and sight, it investigated how Roman house owners manipulated bodily experiences in their dwellings to display social standing. As well as investigating the lived experience of Roman houses, her forthcoming book Villas and Values: The Cultural and Competitive Lives of Rome’s Elites (Routledge) explores the luxury villas of mainland Italy and their role in constructing social perceptions of elite self-identity and what it actually was to be ‘elite’ in the Roman world.

Hannah’s fascination with multisensory research has also led her to examine how digital and immersive technologies can be used to recreate fragile and fragmentary historical sites and artefacts to bring to life past eras for today’s audiences and museum visitors. As part of this, she collaborated on a research project entitled Sensations of Roman Life, where she helped build an immersive virtual reality model of a townhouse and neighbourhood from Roman Silchester using excavation reports to recreate not just the buildings but also the sounds and smells that reflected the archaeological finds of daily life in and around the dwelling. Building on this, Hannah has collaborated with numerous museums and heritage sites in the UK, including Historic Royal Palaces, Jorvik Viking Centre and Fishbourne Roman Palace in the UK and the Franklin Institute and Colonial Williamsburg in the US to explore the use of immersive and digital technologies in cultural institutions to develop visitor experience and widen participation, accessibility and diversity amongst audiences. Most recently, Hannah has worked with colleagues in the creative and heritage industries to develop a world-first multisensory augmented reality trail-based clue game about the Mary Rose for mobile phones, which draws on sounds, smells and sights of the sinking of Henry VIII’s favourite warship. This immersive historical game won an Innovation Award at this year’s global tech, music, film, and culture festival South by Southwest (SXSW 2023).

Hannah enjoyed studying ancient history at the University of Bristol, but it was doing her undergraduate dissertation on the Roman villa at Sperlonga in Italy that really cemented her love of Roman art and architecture, making her realise that she never wanted to stop exploring and researching antiquity – and she hasn’t!

We caught up with Hannah for a Q&A session:

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

There was a lot that I loved about Croydon High School. I joined Croydon High when I was four years old and left when I was 18 – so it became almost like a home from home to me. That familiarity was important, giving me the chance to make lifelong friendships that still mean everything to me today. What I found most rewarding about my time at school was the ability to participate in activities outside the classroom. Although I wasn’t great at sports, there were many other opportunities to take advantage of – I relished the chance to be in plays, musicals, drama festivals, orchestras and choirs. Taking part in these really helped develop my confidence, and the skills these opportunities have given me in public speaking and performing have proved fundamental to my career as a lecturer.

What did you aspire to whilst at school?

My career aims varied considerably while at school but were always centred around what I loved learning about. I knew from early on that I wanted to go to university, and it was in Senior School, when I started to study History and Latin, that I began to think about what I might want to do once I left Croydon High. A school trip to Fishbourne Roman Palace and a later one to Pompeii helped crystalise my ideas and made me sure that ancient history was the path I wanted to take at university. The rest, as they say, is history – or, more accurately for me, ancient history!

How did Croydon High School empower you for your future?

Everyone says that having a good education is important for opening the doors to one’s future – and they are absolutely right. What’s interesting, though, when I look back on my time at Croydon High, it’s not just that it showed me so many options for my future. It also gave me the wherewithal to take up those opportunities and not be scared to push myself outside my comfort zone by trying new and different things. Whether it was Duke of Edinburgh, singing in an opera, doing drama and music festivals and exams, the more I learnt and had the chance to experience at school, the more I realised what I could do. Crucially, school taught me not to be afraid that sometimes things might not always work out as expected. Just as with success, failure is a fact of life. We will all, at some point, make mistakes, and we will all, at times, fail at things. Croydon High gave me the supportive space to learn both how to deal graciously with success and, importantly, how to overcome failure by getting back up, dusting yourself down and learning from that experience without letting it define you.

What has been your proudest moment?

Now that’s a tough question! I think there are a few things that I am pretty proud of having done – mainly because initially, I didn’t think I could achieve them, but then I decided to give them a go, put my mind to it – and succeeded. So, getting my first-class undergraduate degree, university prize, and PhD have been really important to me. More recently, publishing my book Multisensory Living in Ancient Rome and being awarded an Innovation Award from the South by Southwest 2023 technology, film and culture festival (SXSW2023) for collaborating on a project to develop a world-first multisensory augmented-reality history game app for mobile phones. Together, these make me smile when I think about them. 

What are your hopes for the future?

To be happy and healthy, surrounded by the people who mean the world to me and for them to be happy and healthy too. If I can have that in my future, then I’ll have everything I could possibly want.

What would you say to your 15-year-old self?

Most importantly, I’d tell her not to worry and try to relax and enjoy what life brings. Everyone wonders about what they are doing and whether they have made the right choices – that’s natural, but things have a way of working themselves out for the best, often when and how you least expect it. I’d also tell her not to judge herself compared with others. We are all individuals with different strengths and weaknesses, and we can’t all be amazing at everything. Everyone works differently and with diverse skill sets: for some, maths might be their gift, but for others, it’ll be languages or music, chemistry or history. So I’d tell her – be confident in you, in your abilities and your approach to life and work. So long as you are doing your best and striving to be your best – you are doing great!

Beyond that, I’d let her work it out – because trying different things and discovering new experiences is, I think, the joy of life. 

Thank you Hannah,wonderful advice for us all!

Mrs Karen Roe
Alumnae Relations Manager

Dear All

Re: Harvest Donations 2023

Once again, we write to thank all those involved in donating food to us this year.

This ongoing support helps us provide food parcels to families who are struggling to make ends meet. They are often referred to us by Social Services, G. P’s, and other such professional support agencies.

If any of the girls would like to come and see where and how their donations are distributed, we would be happy to arrange this. (We could facilitate 2 pupils)

We always like to give feedback and so far, this year we have distributed over 2,550 parcels. Once again, a heartfelt thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Mary Russell-Redman
Community Support

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