Can you tell us about your role?

As Head of Progression & Futures I am excited to help Sixth Form pupils decide what they would like to do after their A Levels, and to develop the careers provision for the whole school.

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

It can feel daunting to make important decisions about what you want to do when you leave school. My aim is to encourage pupils to be excited about their future, empower them to make informed decisions, and to dream big! It will be a privilege to help Croydon High pupils take those next steps to realising their aspirations.

Do you have any hidden talents or hobbies?

I play a few instruments and used to play the tin whistle in an Irish Folk band!

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

Don’t worry if you don’t have a ‘grand plan’ for your life, and stop comparing yourself to those who claim that they do. Just focus on working hard and pursuing the subjects that inspire you. By the time I graduated I was excited that I had lots of options for how I could use my History degree and the different paths I could take, rather than feeling I needed to have my entire future planned out.

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

My family’s experiences during the Holocaust was a key reason why I became a History teacher. Over many years of running projects, meeting Holocaust survivors, and sharing my own family’s story, I have always been inspired by the response of my pupils to this period of history. Their tolerance, kindness and understanding, and their desire to make the world a better place, gives me hope for the future.

Ms Nicola Kreinczes
Head of Progression and Futures

Can you tell us about your role?

As a German teacher at Croydon High, I’m committed to teaching the language while immersing pupils in the rich culture of German-speaking countries. My goal is to create engaging lessons that inspire confidence and ignite a lasting passion for learning German.

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

My aspiration is to help pupils connect with the German language through a variety of exciting resources, while also building real-world skills. I aim to foster an environment where pupils challenge themselves, think creatively, and develop curiosity about the language and the wider world.

Do you have any hidden talents or hobbies?

I love gardening – it’s a peaceful hobby that helps me relax and unwind. There’s something really satisfying about nurturing plants and watching them grow.

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

I would tell my 15-year-old self to trust myself more. It’s easy to doubt yourself at that age, but I’ve learned that believing in your potential is key – and mistakes are just part of the journey. Things will fall into place if you stay determined.

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

A memorable moment was during a German exchange when one of my pupils struggled to get along with her exchange partner. I intervened, spoke with both families, and after a few adjustments, the situation improved. By the end of the trip, she had built a strong bond with her host family, and it was rewarding to see her overcome the challenge.

Ms Vanessa Gent
Teacher of German

On Saturday 25 January 2025, 12 pupils from Croydon High School (Juniors and Seniors), accompanied by Mrs Krishnamurthy, Mrs Nathanael and Mrs Abrahams, took part in the Galactic Challenge in Bede’s School in East Sussex.

Galactic Challenge gives young people the chance to experience space, science and engineering first hand through industry simulation. This competition is the junior version of the UK Space Design Competition and the objective was to design a settlement in space

Croydon High pupils were split across 2 teams out of the 4 teams that were formed. The pupils gained the experience of working in a large team in a highly pressurised environment.

One of the many highlights, Kaweng (Y9), who was elected as President, led her team to victory. Congratulations to Kaweng, Frankie, Zia, Alexa, Judy and Leela from team Astrodyne Delta for winning the challenge. Delilah was elected Vice President of Engineering in her company and she did a fabulous job with her presentation and answering questions posed by judges.

This is what our girls had to say about their experience :

Kaweng: The Galactic Challenge was a chance for all of us to collaborate and work together as a team – inclusive of people that we knew and those that we didn’t know. It really taught us the importance of balancing the workload across a diverse group of people but also the satisfaction of working towards a shared goal.

Ella: I loved the galactic challenge because it was a great opportunity to work as a team with people we didn’t know before the challenge. My team worked together so well and it was really cool to be able to present our hard work to a panel of judges at the end of the day. Even though I didn’t win, it was a really fun experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Ava: I really enjoyed the galactic challenge, I think it was a great opportunity for us all to push beyond our limits and step out of our comfort zone. Even though not all of us won, I can guarantee that we all had a lot of fun, and if I get the opportunity I would love to do it again.

Alexa: The Galactic Challenge was so much fun! My team worked so hard and all made a great contribution. I never dreamed of winning and the fact that I did was amazing! A great experience and I would love to go again.

Judy: I really enjoyed the Galactic Challenge because it was a great opportunity to test our teamwork. Even though not all of us can win, I think everyone tried their best and worked very hard. An extra victory is that our team won! I especially liked working on the slideshow and creating diagrams and also seeing our team win.

Leela: I really enjoyed working together in mixed groups and being able to see my ideas come to life. I loved doing the slides and diagrams online and offline. The best part was seeing our name up on the board as winners! We worked so hard so I knew that we deserved to win. Even though others didn’t win I feel like everyone worked diligently and had lots of fun!

Delilah: I loved this challenge! It was amazing and a great experience for me and all my companions. Making a settlement on mars is a difficult challenge but we all pushed through and we all did AMAZING! Being vice president of engineering was an amazing role to play too so thank you Croydon High for this amazing experience!

Krisha: This was a great experience, and although my team didn’t win, I still enjoyed making our presentation, but also the whole thing in general! It was really fun working with new people as well as those from Croydon High. Altogether, this was a truly amazing experience and I would definitely do it again!

Mrs Maya Krishnamurthy
Head of Junior School Enterprise Technology

On Tuesday 28 January, a group of Year 11-Upper Sixth classicists went to the Old Vic to see ‘Oedipus Rex’. It was an exciting performance which included expressive dance, special effects and other dramatic techniques which gripped the audience. In this story, Oedipus is now king of Thebes and has married his mother, Jocasta (unknowingly). No rain has come and the people of Thebes are blaming Oedipus as he is the leader of their city. The word of an oracle stated that to receive water, Oedipus must discover who killed King Laius – the previous king of Thebes. It is later revealed that Oedipus murdered his own father, King Laius. The play was an amazing experience, symbolising the hysteria of the tragedy surrounding the story.

Anya and Charlotte
Year 11

The Junior School enjoyed celebrating the Lunar New Year!

Maggie performed a traditional dance which wowed us all, Mae shared her homemade lantern, Elena told the story of The Great Race and Judy delighted us with her musical piece on the violin, plus more!

Over the last three weeks, in Mrs Bower and Mrs Connery’s Junior Craft Club, the girls have prepared by making lanterns, masks, dragons and they also enjoyed a fortune cookie to celebrate and see what good luck was coming their way.

12 pupils and staff worked hard during the week to help keep the local community clean of litter.

With a combined time of 15 hours, we gathered 6 large bags of litter – collecting an array of discarded items.

Thank you to all the team in helping to keep our local area clean.

Mrs Sue Beck
Head of Community and PE Teacher

This week, Croydon High participated in the Regional GDST rally, which included dance, netball and hockey.

Well done to our winning teams:

• U11 Hockey
• U12A Netball
• U12B Netall

Earlier this week, we held our gymnastics championships for the Junior and Senior School.

Well done to our U9, U11 and U14 medalists!

Staff from Croydon High Junior and Senior School will be taking on the challenge of the Brighton Marathon Weekend to raise funds for UNICEF. Together, we’re aiming to commit at least 150 km to celebrate Croydon High’s 150th birthday this year!

With a mix of runners tackling the 10k race (6.2 miles) and the Brighton Marathon (26.2 miles), our team is coming together to make every step count for a great cause. We believe in the power of our school community to make a difference, and we’d love your support to help us reach our fundraising goal.

Donate today

Year 8 pupil Maryna R is looking to fundraise £700 in order to cut off 15 inches of her hair to donate to The Little Princess Trust in March. The Little Princess Trust is a charity that provides real hair wigs, free of charge, to children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer. Let’s help Maryna reach her goal!

Year 3 pupil, Jaya L, has also been fundraising and on the 6 February she will be chopping her locks and donating it to The Little Princess Trust.

We are so proud of our pupils for carrying out such a kind act.

Since joining Croydon High School in Reception, Sachleen has enjoyed Taekwondo with Aquila. Just before Christmas, she entered her second grading and achieved the green belt! The coaches mentioned that she was very focused and specific with her steps which was great to hear.

Well done Sachleen on this great achievement.

I took over the Chair of the PTA in September 2024 and what a school year it has been for us so far! The committee is fabulous and the support we have had from the school community has been amazing. Please follow the link to our new webpage, where you can find out all the information on who we are, what we do, upcoming events and our contact details.

Mrs Vanessa Dexter
Chair of the PTA

Consider Yourself… invited to the Croydon High production of ‘Oliver!’

Book your tickets now!