On Sunday 25 June, our whole school community came together in a tremendous representation of love and support for one another and for the family of Emma and Lettie Pattison.

Our Memorial Concert was all we hoped it would be, in parts joyful, poignant, celebratory and of course, deeply moving. Against the backdrop of our beautiful trees lining the athletics bowl, over 1500 people listened to some wonderful performances from Junior, Senior and Sixth Form pupils, and a large number of alumnae who had joined us especially for the day. These were interspersed with memories of both Mrs Pattison and Lettie shared by members of staff. Throughout the course of the afternoon, the younger children enjoyed craft activities on the tennis courts, including painting pebbles with messages and memories which will be placed in our grounds.

Amongst many highlights, one that stood out was when alumna Shermya (Class of 2021) performed her powerful poem Loves of my Life, written and performed originally by Shermya as an ode to her year group, on their last day in the Upper Sixth. It was poignant then, but on Sunday it seemed to have a special significance that was incredibly moving.  So many people have requested a copy of the poem that we have included it here.

Mrs Pattison’s family, with Ms Davies, Sir Anthony Seldon (Head of Epsom College) and Canon Andrew Haviland, the Senior Chaplain at Epsom, came together to dedicate the two Tulip trees we have planted in memory of ‘Emma and Lettie’. Everyone there on the day was invited to plant a bulb around the base of the trees and we hope that these will bloom every spring in their memory.

The final part of the Concert will perhaps be the most memorable for those who were there, as Mrs Pattison’s father, Howard and her sister Deborah, took to the stage. Like Mrs Pattison herself, both are accomplished musicians and the response from the crowd to their wonderful performances of some newly composed and  ‘family favourite’ songs was overwhelming. The final number saw everyone on their feet and joining in with a song we knew to have been one of Mrs Pattison’s particular favourites and certainly one which holds special memories for us all at Croydon High. Led by Mr Ting on guitar, the whole community joined together singing Sweet Home Alabama.

Our thanks to everyone who played their part in making it a moment and a day we will never forget. We know Mrs Pattison and Lettie’s family were hugely comforted by the love and support they felt around them on Sunday, which as they put it, ‘brought some light in to a very dark place.’

And finally, if you would like to make a donation in memory of Mrs Pattison and Lettie, their family ask that you consider the charity, Winston’s Wish, who do such wonderful work supporting grieving children. You can donate here.

Mrs Fran Cook
Director of External Relations and Philanthropy 

Books and doors are the same thing. You open them, you go through them into another world.
– Jeanette Winterson

When I was invited to write my ‘Leadership Likes’ for this week’s News Links, I knew immediately that I wanted to write about my love of picture books. Whilst the Beatles sang ‘All You Need is Love’, I believe ‘All You Need is a picture book’! For our girls to grow into happy and confident young people, it is essential that we help them to acquire a love of reading, and I believe picture books really encourage this from the earliest age.

Picture books open discussions about everything, and story times at school and a bedtime story at home provide the perfect opportunity to reassure our children and show them that they are loved. In my 26 years as a teacher and my eleven years as a mummy, I have always used picture books to help children to learn about the world around us.

Every day our girls are exploring and making sense of the world. Picture books help build the foundations for this. They also help children to acknowledge that we all have different views and that not everyone thinks in the same way. Reading is not about how much we can get through, but the enjoyment of what we get out of it. It’s about appreciating every word as it comes and living through it in the moment. The power of a picture book should never be underestimated. I regularly use picture books in my assemblies with the girls. They make a great starting point in helping our girls to grow and make judgements about everything they see and hear.

On my first day at Croydon High Junior School, I was visited by one of our wonderful Year 5 pupils, Amena. She had written a very special poem about her own love of books:

Reading is dreaming with your eyes,
if you didn’t read, you’d be completely broken.
Books are dreams you hold in your hands,
flying all over the lands,
to the world of imagination.
A book is the World’s very best creation.

Her poem serves as a beautiful reminder that picture books don’t just teach a child to read and love books, they develop imagination and open the door to the world around us.

They have a life-living power which helps us all to gain a sense of who we are and deepen our sense of life. I have never forgotten the words of a little girl who was in my first ever class, back in 1998. She told me that when she looked at a bookcase, it filled her with great excitement because whilst her bedroom was in Sydenham, her bookcase was full of books which would take her anywhere in the world.

During the pandemic, I held weekly virtual story-times online for the pupils at my previous school. This remains one of my most treasured memories of this very challenging time. We snuggled up virtually and shared books for over an hour every Wednesday! It became a very special time for us all.

Croydon High Junior School is incredibly fortunate to have the most fabulous library (Discovery Zone) with access to so many beautiful high-quality books. It is a magical and much-loved feature of our school and has become a reading haven for our girls. It provides a space where girls feel empowered and inspired to make their own choices about what to read.

What brings our library to life is our inspiring school Librarian, Mrs Redmond, who shares my passion for picture books. She expertly guides girls in their reading and inspires them to try something new. She provides endless opportunities for them to explore reading beyond the walls of their classroom and plays an important role in developing the reading habits of all our girls.

Author visits are another very important part of life in the Junior School and create a long- lasting impression on the girls. There’s nothing like hearing about the behind-the-scenes process of putting a book together to engage readers and generate interest in the creative process.

Author visits also help pupils to learn that the process of writing a book can be messy and becomes better through re-writing and feedback. This helps girls to develop an understanding that their own writing can improve in this way too and can inspire them to pursue their own goals. Two weeks we were very excited to welcome alumna and author Georgina Day, to share her new book, Honey and Sugar get Adopted.

The girls enjoyed asking her a range of questions and discovered that Georgina’s inspiration for writing came from her love for animals, as a young child, growing up with many pets in the family and then going on to adopt ten pets of her own, including rescue rabbits.

Not surprisingly, one of my favourite days in the academic calendar is World Book Day.

Reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success.
– World Book Day 2023

A day of celebrating books is my idea of heaven and gives the most wonderful opportunity to encourage all our girls to simply share the joy of reading. One of the most important aspects of World Book Day is that it introduces us all to new titles, raises awareness of a range of authors and illustrators and provides the recognition of the power of books to cross space, time and generations, uniting the present with the future and past.

I’m already planning my first World Book Day at Croydon High, with the promise that it will a day to remember. So put Thursday 7 March 2024 in your diaries and together we can all celebrate the power of books and the joy of reading.

Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift.
– Kate DiCamillo

Miss Sarah-Jane Pendleton
Head of Junior School

Alison Maguire Class of 1994

Head of Research & Finance at The Lily Foundation
Financial Controller at Paragon Trading Partners LLP

Alison graduated from Warwick in 1997 with a first-class honours degree in Biological Sciences. Unclear which career path she wanted to take, she decided to train and qualify as a Chartered Accountant, and by 2003 she was managing the Film and Media Division of a West End firm. In 2004 life changed completely for Alison when her daughter Niamh was born and then, within a matter of weeks, suffered severe health complications which led to extensive time in hospital. At age three, Niamh was diagnosed with Mitochondrial Disease, for which Alison and her husband were told there was no treatment or cure. For some, this would have meant giving up on many things but not Alison. Using her medical background, she made sure she learned everything about the condition, ensuring Niamh received the best and most appropriate treatment and lived her short life to the full. She became an expert in mitochondrial disease and her passion for medicine was re-ignited once more. Tragically, Niamh died aged just four and a half.

The day after Niamh died, Alison picked up a leaflet about the Lily Foundation, set up by Liz Curtis eighteen months earlier, following the death of her eight-month-old daughter Lily, from the same condition. It turned out Alison and Liz both lived in Warlingham, and their daughters had been alive at the same time. Liz was being contacted by families asking for information about mitochondrial disease and she was struggling to help as mito was complex and she had no medical background. The meeting with Alison, who knew the condition inside out was timely, to say the least. Alison started working with the charity as a Trustee and realised she could make a real difference. She is now Head of Research and Finance at the Lily Foundation.

Amongst other things, the charity raises money to fund research. When researchers at Newcastle University developed a way to utilise IVF for mitochondrial donation to prevent babies from being born with the disease, Alison fought to change the law to allow this. She worked tirelessly to brief select committees, rallied the public to lobby MPs and inspired journalists to support the cause. On 3 February 2015, all of this dedication paid off when the House of Commons voted in favour of amending the law. On 24 February, the House of Lords followed suit. Mitochondrial donation is now a reality in the UK. This is a remarkable achievement, but for Alison and Liz and all who support the Lily Foundation, the work goes on towards ultimately finding a cure, raising awareness and supporting those affected by this cruel disease.

In 2015, we proudly announced that Alison had won the GDST Alumna of the Year Award.

At school, Alison had two main passions – Biology and Gymnastics. “If I wasn’t in lessons, you could guarantee to find me in the school gym – usually upside down… the only other thing which came close to my love for gymnastics was my fascination with biology and all things medical. Everything from anatomy to genetics interested me, although initially, I was no natural researcher! In sixth form, my first disastrous attempt at breeding fruit flies (to try and demonstrate mendelian inheritance) resulted in the first two batches never quite recovering from over-sedation, and my third attempt going totally the other way with my flies waking up mid-analysis and escaping around the lab. Despite my shaky start in laboratory genetics, my passion for the subject was clear, and it came as no surprise to my teachers when I chose to study Biological Sciences at Warwick University after leaving Croydon High School Sixth Form in 1994.

“I never envisaged when I left CHS aged 18 that I would end up doing what I am doing now, but my education there contributed to a very large part of who I am today, and it certainly gave me the skills I needed to adapt to what life had in store for me. The friends I met at school are still my friends today, 30 years on, and my teachers gave me the confidence and support to choose subjects I enjoyed, even though at the time I felt like I was the only one who had no idea what I wanted to do when I grew up. Even if I had known what I wanted to do, I have learned that life can have its own agenda. The core skills I learned at CHS, like resilience and adaptability, allowed me to deal with life’s curve balls and still come out smiling. I am very grateful for that.”

We asked Alison what she enjoys in her spare time.

“Working full time with school-age kids does not leave a huge amount of spare time for hobbies, but I always try to keep up my physical fitness through regular CrossFit classes as it helps me maintain mental focus. I also enjoy a bit of a ‘grand designs’ challenge, and during lockdown I transformed a dilapidated beach house in West Sussex into a stunning beachfront holiday-let which we can all now enjoy. I am very proud of that project as it was really outside my comfort zone, but I learned a lot!

What would Alison say to her 15-year-old self?

“I’m not sure my 15-year-old self would have taken this on board. But with the benefit of hindsight, I would tell myself to take advantage of every opportunity to learn and grow. Pursue subjects and activities that genuinely interest you (not others), and never stop seeking knowledge throughout your life. Set goals, work hard, and stay focused on what truly matters to you. Believe in your abilities and have confidence in what you can achieve. Trust that you have the strength and resilience to overcome challenges and remember that failure is a part of growth, and setbacks can lead to even greater accomplishments.

And finally, Alison’s aspirations for the future.

“I think my biggest aspiration for the future would be to find a better balance between my professional commitments and personal life.

Having a career that is so deeply personal and rewarding can sometimes make it very hard to get that balance right, as my commitment to my work has become intrinsically part of who I am. I recognise that this can sometimes be hard for those close to me, so I am working to create a better work-life balance that allows me to remain dedicated to my career while also recognising the importance of nurturing relationships with my family, friends, and loved ones.”

It has been good to reconnect with Alison again, and we continue to be very proud of who she is and all she does.

Mrs Karen Roe
Alumnae Relations Manager

We were delighted to welcome over 100 alumnae and former staff back to school on Saturday 24 June, for the annual Ivy Link Summer Lunch reunion. Girls from the Class of 1952 through to 2022,  joined former staff covering teaching years from 1964 to 2014. The Class of 1963 celebrated their 60th Anniversary, and the Class of 1968 their 55th.  Almost 30 from the Class of 1990, who would have attended in 2020, marked a belated 30th anniversary. Many were also former or current parents. Our guests travelled nationwide from twenty-two counties, Scotland to Devon and everything in-between. Nearly half of those joining us were attending an Ivy Link event for the first time. 

Our visitors were greeted with a Pimm’s reception and an exhibition from the school’s archives. The lunch was delicious, the wine flowed, and there was a happy buzz of reminiscences and laughter.

The Senior Choir entertained us, singing For the Beauty of the Earth, Marianina and Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Ms Davies welcomed our guests and gave an update on school news and developments.

Huge thanks to our fantastic Head Girls and Prefect team, who were incredible hosts welcoming, serving and conducting school tours. For many visitors, it was their first visit to the site in Selsdon, being Wellesley Road girls, and for others, it was a chance to see their old classrooms again. Thanks also to our premises team and of course the marvellous catering team. 

Once again, a really successful event, and we are all very much looking forward to next year’s reunion. 

We have received a number of warm letters and emails thanking us for the day.

Thank you so much for a superbly organised summer lunch. You can talk to anyone in such a lovely atmosphere as we all have our wonderful school in common. Thank you for all you do for us.
Jean, Class of 1953

Thank you so much for a really fantastic Ivy Link lunch today – as ever, your attention to detail was just amazing.  I do not know how you manage to pander to all our individual wants and needs and remain calm and organised.
Ann, Class of  1957

Thank you so much for all the arrangements, it was so worth the trouble you must have taken, and I had a wonderful time. It was especially good to hear the choir’s performance and to have a talk from the new Head. The food and drink, the delightful prefects and the exhibition about the school from so long ago were all excellent, and it was difficult to tear ourselves away at the end of the happy afternoon.
Anne, Class of 1963

Impeccable organisation- you can tell by everyone’s happiness at the time how much it is appreciated. As Ms Davies said, it is a truly unique experience to be part of such a large and active association and to feel valued. As soon as I set foot in the building, I feel it -this is my school- I am a small part of its history and your hard work updating and including us underlines that and keeps us in the present. All my crew loved it, and we were messaging all day yesterday and exchanging photos, also hearing from those who couldn’t make it. I might try to persuade them to meet more often than every five years!
Diane, Class of 1968

We all had the best time! It was so moving meeting up with everyone, seeing the choir and hearing from the head. And then the highlight was having a tour from your wonderful head girl! Many thanks once again for all you do.
Sarah, Class of 1990

Mrs Karen Roe
Alumnae Relations Manager

We had amazing entries from models of the eyes, ear, heart or lungs to the Big Bang Theory. Some teams challenged themselves with practical simulations, including how the small intestine works and how tooth decay occurs. One team tried to perfect a safer version of the elephant’s toothpaste experiment while another team tackled moulding of strawberries. A pair of pupils tried to trick teachers with homework created by Artificial Intelligence. We even had an erupting volcano! Excellent effort Year 8s!

The votes have now been counted and the winners of each class are:

8A: Riya, Meera and Lara with Sustainable Strawberries.

8G:

• Ahaana and Hannah with Can Croydon High Teachers Recognise AI Generated Homework.
• Holly and Arielle with Hear about the Ear.

8P:

• Ella with The Big Bang Theory.
• Issy and Jenna with Model of the Heart.

Congratulations to all winners!

Mrs Sari Leppala
Teacher of Chemistry
Innovation & Enrichment Lead (Science)

In our Pathways Session on Thursday 22 June, we had the pleasure of welcoming Ness Beal, an alumna of Croydon High School, as our guest speaker. Ness, who is currently pursuing a degree in Biological Science at Kent University, graciously visited us to engage with Lower Sixth students and share insights about studying Biological university courses, as well as the experience of university life.

Ms K James
Teacher of Biology and STEM Universities Coordinator

This amazing project has really captured the imagination of all of us here at Croydon High! Although the ‘hot off the press’ news from today, 30 June, is that the initial launch was unsuccessful, the Astrogazers Team are undeterred and already looking at the 3-week window they have to launch again. We believe they will succeed, but we also know they will learn far more from their setbacks than from their successes.

Please enjoy this report from Flight Director, Tara, on what they have learned so far…

Hello everyone! My name is Tara and I am the Flight Director at Astrogazers and this is our very final update. It is incredible to see how far we have come over this past year; from knowing barely anything about how to launch a weather balloon, to being experts on the launch process.

I am so unbelievably proud of how hard everyone has worked and am excited to finally launch our balloon. Though the journey has not been smooth sailing (even now we are facing problems, awaiting approval from the Civil Aviation Authority and the weather not being fully in our favour!) These are challenges that we shall take in our stride.

Preparations are fully underway, with our payload secured and step-by-step method perfected.

We would like to thank the school community for their unwavering support and for believing in our mission when it seemed impossible. On a more personal note, this experience has cemented my love for science. I realise now how important it is that we involve young girls in STEM, because their voices, more than ever, need to be heard.

Please join our live stream to launch and we are excited for the school to join in with our countdown!

Stay connected with us on Instagram and YouTube to get all the updates on our mock launch and the actual launch! Stay tuned on our YouTube channel to watch the live feed of the launch with commentary!

Tara K
Flight Director, Astrogazers
Year 11

Year 1 had a fantastic day visiting Port Lympne last Thursday as part of our Animals and Maasai Mara topics. The girls were thrilled to enjoy a safari ride as soon as we arrived, and on our bumpy journey we managed to spot giraffes, rhinos, zebras, wildebeest, antelope and ostriches amongst others. Whilst heading through the initial Asian part of the experience we were also stopped by a trio of camels who were insistent on making us wait for them to move! A highlight of the safari was spotting the spectacled bear sleeping peacefully in his hammock.

Following our safari, we enjoyed a much-awaited packed lunch and then set off to see baboons, tigers, and Mrs Redmond’s favourite-the red panda. The girls got their muscles working trekking back up the hill and most were fast asleep for the coach journey home! A brilliant day was had by all!

Mrs Emily Wragg
Year 1 Class Teacher
Science Coordinator

Creative Writing Club celebrated the publication of their brilliant anthology The Ivy Locket Volume 2 on Monday lunchtime in the LRC. The students were rightly proud of their work, having not only contributed all the poems and stories but designed the front cover as well. There is no end to their talents!

It has been my pleasure and privilege to spend my Monday lunchtimes with this wonderful group of young writers. Their passion and commitment is a constant source of inspiration and it has been a joy to watch them explore and develop their craft. The poetry and prose they have produced for this anthology is a testament to their hard work and creativity. I can’t wait to see what they do next year!

Read all the anthology

Ms Tapsfield 
Learning Resource and Innovation Hub Manager

As part of their topic on climate change and energy options, the Year 7 geographers have been busy learning about microclimates and collecting data in our beautiful school grounds. They have used specialist equipment, such as anemometers and light meters, alongside thermometers and bubbles to determine the temperature, wind speed and direction and light levels at various sites around the school, with the aim of determining a site for a hypothetical renewable energy farm.

A key aim was exploration, with the pupils taking the lead on decision making in their group work. They identified their sites using a sampling technique of their choice; those who used random number generators really enjoyed the unpredictability this brought! They also created their own parameters for their methods, such as how many times they should repeat their recordings and how long for. Back in the classroom, the groups utilised Mote to create a voice recording summarising their findings, which they placed onto a satellite map of the school grounds. Meanwhile, for their PREP, they explored their local area and took photos to highlight different aspects that contribute to microclimates. The Geography Department have been really impressed with the Year 7s decision making, communication skills and practical skills shown during the project. Well done, Year 7!

Mrs Alice Mollison
Head of Geography

In geography we have been learning all about microclimates and we have recently conducted our own investigation about microclimates. We conducted our experiment all over the school ground collecting data on wind speeds, sunlight, heat and more. We looked at all our data and we decided that we were going to do our wind farm on the netball courts. This is because it would not disturb wildlife and there were high wind speeds. Due to teamwork and effort, we were successful in finding a good place for our wind farm.

To display our findings, we recorded a Mote voiceover on a class Google Slides. We explained our findings and all the reasons we wanted to do a wind farm in this place. We really enjoyed our experience and we felt we could learn from our project.

Eleanor, Loreda and Anna
Year 7

Our Year 9 who have chosen to carry on with French for GCSE had the opportunity to attend a cross-curricular event at the BFI in London. They learnt how France lived through German occupation during WWII, with a particular focus on the Holocaust and how Jewish children were hidden and tried to leave occupied France.

They enjoyed the workshop and worked very hard on their French and History knowledge. In the afternoon, they then were able to appreciate and enjoy the film ‘Le voyage de Fanny’, telling the true story of a 12-year-old girl who leads 7 other children through France to the safety of Switzerland.

A fantastic and very informative day!

Ms Alissia Paris
Head of French

During the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, Chantal told us of how she witnessed the worst of human nature as Hutu-led government and members of the Hutu community turned against Tutsi people. She also saw the best of humanity in the neighbours who hid her and helped her survive, despite the risk to themselves and their families.

Chantal now shares her story with others to create awareness about Genocide and reminds people that it doesn’t just suddenly happen, there are warnings. For example, the historic discrimination of the Tutsis – a point she illustrated with her experiences at school. Chantal told us how she felt isolated from the other children, who were all Hutus. They would not mix with her or include her in their games. She remembers them calling her names such as ‘cockroach’ or ‘snake’. Even the teachers subjected her to discrimination, asking all of the Tutsis in the room to stand, knowing that Chantal was the only one.

Although Chantel’s father and brothers were killed in the genocide, alongside more than 50 members of her family, she was overjoyed to find her mother had survived. Still feeling unsafe, Chantel told us how she moved to London in February 1995 and was taken in by nuns who gave her a place to live while she applied for asylum and trained to be a Social Worker. Chantal didn’t speak about her experiences for twenty years, until her daughters asked her about her life in Rwanda. Today, she speaks to many different groups to help them understand the genocide and is the Deputy Chair of URUMURI, helping other survivors of genocide and raising awareness of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda in the UK. She goes back regularly to Rwanda, because she says something has changed there now – it is more like home again.

This talk was very moving, and we were really privileged to hear Chantal speak about her story.

Elan B
Year 9

This year, Refugee Week ran from 19-25 June, with the theme of showing compassion.  It celebrated what compassion looks like in action and how, together, we can create a shared understanding of compassion to ensure we are extending it widely to all.

At Croydon High, a few pupils who participate in the Amnesty & Activism club have been running a stall in the LRC, with the help of Mrs Tooke and Ms Yam.  At this stall, we are encouraging students and teachers to write messages of hope and support towards young refugees and asylum seekers.

As a group, we have also been writing letters to our MPs to express our opinions on the illegal migration bill currently being debated. Anaiya S (Year 8) and Kaweng P (Year 7) have already received replies – proving that our voices really do count.

Last Friday, during our whole school assembly, the wonderful KS3 Ivy Players performed a dramatisation of a young asylum seeker’s experience of leaving of her home country and seeking refuge.

Fundraiser for Young Roots

On Monday 3 July, we will be holding our final fundraiser of the year to raise money for the London-based charity ‘Young Roots’ who work with Refugees and Asylum Seekers aged 11-25, most of whom are alone in the UK without families.

There will be a range of stalls including cookies and cakes; henna; decorate a tote bag; guess the weight of the pamper hamper; chocolate tombola; guess the number of sweets and a pre-loved stall. Thank you in advance to all pupils for their support – don’t forget to bring change; help us celebrate refugee week and show compassion!

Anaiya S (Year 8), Meera V (Year 11)  and Mrs Tooke

The girls in Bee Club took immense pride in presenting Ms Davies with Croydon High’s very first jar of honey. The girls have played a crucial role in caring and maintaining our two healthy colonies. Regular inspections and management of each hive ensure the bees are disease free and productive. Before the girls could taste any honey, they had to prepare frames by removing the capping from the cells and placing them in a spinning extractor drum. Centrifugal force draws honey out of the combs and drips into a reservoir. The honey is then filtered before jarring. They cannot wait to take their own jar of honey home next week!

Mr David Johnston
Assistant Head of Junior School

More information coming soon

We are so pleased and grateful to Jemca Toyota Croydon for sponsoring our Netball and Hockey Tour of South Africa later this year.

Thank you to The Artemis Clinic and Inwood Developments for sponsoring the Astrogazers Club, your generous donations has enabled the club to purchase new GPS and Bluetooth trackers!