Leadership Likes: Mrs Pattison
Mrs Pattison says goodbye to the pupils of Croydon High as the thirteenth Head!
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Find out what is happening at Croydon High this week.
Mrs Pattison says goodbye to the pupils of Croydon High as the thirteenth Head!
Read MoreWhen I took over the role of Headmistress of Croydon High School, GDST in 2016, I had a few things on my to do list that I felt were very important. For example, we wanted to re-brand and update our website, we also felt it was time for a change of school motto. But, first and foremost on the list, before we could begin to meet any of the other challenges, I wanted to get to know the school and you all – or at least those pupils who were here at the time – as well as the staff, parents and the whole Croydon High community. I could already tell this was a very special school but I wanted to understand it fully, to really capture the heart and soul of Croydon High. I remember the many meetings when we tried to articulate this most crucial of messages … how do we convey to the world what is so special about Croydon High?
Very genuinely, answering this question didn’t take long. It was quickly clear that what is so special is … its people – all of you. We identified that Croydon High girls are so confident because they are so engaged in school life and that, alongside these qualities, you are that powerful combination of ambitious and compassionate. I remember those first few weeks in post, such a large number of pupils visited my office to introduce themselves and say hello! So many took the time to offer a ‘welcome’ and tell me what you loved about the school. Honestly, I had never experienced such a warm and genuine welcome to a school before; you are, simply, absolutely unique!
This made me so excited about the future of the school and so proud to be its Headmistress. I would really encourage you, therefore, to show Ms Davies the same kind of welcome when she starts because I can’t tell you the difference it makes. I have no doubt you will!
So, having defined what made Croydon High so special, it was then really quite easy to articulate our mantra and our motto. EVERY GIRL, EVERY DAY simply turned up as a phrase in one of our SLT meetings and ‘May Her Character and Talents Inspire Others’, although it doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as easily, was also the obvious wording for the new motto. You have absolutely lived up to it in every way and that feeling of pride and excitement about the school has never left me since.
Six years later, this letter would not be able to do justice to your numerous accomplishments over the years which have made me so proud! Some of these will be as impressive as national awards and recognition for your character and talents, some might be competitions or achievements within school and many will simply be moments when we realise that one of you has overcome a huge challenge to achieve their success. We have begun every single Senior Leadership Team meeting celebrating your successes and achievements but whether these have been celebrated publicly or personally, these moments have all been equally significant to me.
It occurs to me, six years on, that you perhaps have no idea how incredible you are as a pupil body – both collectively but also individually! Surrounded, as you are, by other incredible and excellent people, you perhaps take for granted things like… how kind you are to each other, how hard you work, how determined you are and just how exceptionally talented each and every one of you is, sometimes in your own way and at your own thing. I am going to miss you all very much indeed.
You also have an incredible body of staff, both teaching and support staff who are so committed, so fun, such warm, lovely and dedicated people who put you – their pupils – first and who love their jobs. I am so grateful to them for their significant contribution over the past few years which has meant that we have been able to achieve most of the things that were on that initial to do list. I am really going to miss each one of our staff and wish them all the best of luck for the future in their careers and their personal lives.
The Senior Leadership Team at Croydon High is made up of the most astonishingly committed and talented people I could ever have hoped to work with. I have cherished my time with each one of them as a colleague and hope to continue to do the same as a friend in the future. Good luck to them all – I am sure we will keep in touch!
Pupils, you are so lucky to have these people – teaching and support staff and senior leaders – working with you and for you.
You are also very lucky to have such caring and invested parents. They love the school and have been more supportive of the school and of me personally than I could possibly have ever wished them to be. Thank you!
Your school governors, led so brilliantly by the Chair of Governors, Lesley Lipczynski, and the new alumnae governing body, led equally brilliantly by the Deputy Chair of Governors, Caroline Gulliver, have also worked very hard indeed with me and the Senior Leadership Team over the years to secure the very best education for you that we collectively could.
Finally, you should know that in Cheryl Giovannoni, the CEO of GDST, you have the most outstanding role model and inspirational leader you could hope for. All of the team at GDST have been fantastic and I am grateful to them on your behalf but also personally for their support of me and of the school.
In closing, I ask you to remember how special you are as a group of pupils and remember what makes each of you unique within that group! Croydon High will continue to go from strength to strength and you – all of you – will play a huge role in that, either as pupils or as alumnae in the Ivy Link, because this will always be your school and you will always be welcome in it!
It has been the most wonderful privilege being your Headmistress for six years. I wish each and every one of you the very best for the future. I hope you will reflect on your school years as times of happiness that have helped shape the person you will become. I hand the school over to Ms Davies and she will have her own to do list, equally as long and ambitious as mine was, I am sure! Like me, she will revel in your character and talents and the school will continue to thrive as a result.
Yours with the warmest and very best wishes for your future,
Mrs Pattison
Headmistress |
We asked our cast to share their best memories of Matilda...
Read MoreLara T |
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Ellie M |
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Ava G |
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Izzy T |
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Claire C |
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Loveleen N |
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Aleena B |
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Ruby M-B |
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Congratulations and well done to the entire cast!
Mrs Webb
Assistant Head (co-curricular) |
A team made up of Years 7 and 8 competed in this year's National Athletics Championship.
Read MoreWhat a journey!
All the way back in May, combined Year 7 and 8 teams were selected to compete in the first round (county round) of the English Schools’ Track and Field Cup in Woking. We won the event with a huge total of 402 points and therefore were through to the Regional A final in June. We travelled to Gillingham, Kent for the Regional Finals; we had a great competition and scored 412 points overall. After waiting for what felt like years, we found out that we had done enough to qualify for the national finals and knew we were then ranked in the top 13 schools in the country!
Unfortunately, on the days leading up to the big day, a few of our team members became unavailable, so some other eager athletes stepped in and in the early morning of Saturday 2 July, we set off for the national finals in Oxfordshire.
As soon as we arrived, we could tell the competition was going to be super tough and so we all came together as a team and gave the best performances we possibly could in the unfavourable conditions. It was an incredible experience to be able to watch and compete against phenomenal athletes from all across the country. After a long day of athletics, all the participating schools gathered on the track; we were nervous but excited to hear the results. Soon after, we found out that we had come 5TH IN THE COUNTRY! Everyone was thrilled and we all congratulated each other for the effort and hard work we had put in as a team this season.
Finally, the team would like to say a huge thank you to all of the PE department and a special thanks to Mrs Head for being the most motivating and supportive coach. I hope everyone has a well-deserved rest and a wonderful summer holiday.
Rika H, Y8 |
We wanted to take the opportunity to recognise the achievements of our outstanding Year 11 pupils as they prepare to leave the senior school and move on to sixth form, where so many opportunities await them.
They have been a wonderfully cohesive cohort, who share some fabulous memories of the last five years. They have encouraged and supported one another and we know they will continue to do so in the future.
⦁ They celebrated the end of this chapter with a very happy Year 11 Ball where they all looked fabulous and where there was lots of fun and laughter – aimed particularly at the teachers’ dance moves!
⦁ They were also rightly celebrated at the PE Department’s Sports Presentation Awards, where a number of Y11 pupils received their sports colours. A very special occasion for a very talented year group.
⦁ Their Sixth Form induction day on Friday 1 July, gave them a real feeling of anticipation for what lies ahead and again, there was a lovely atmosphere in the Sixth Form centre.
⦁ And finally, although we had already waved them goodbye, a number of these fantastic pupils were back in school this week to help out with the production of Matilda and with Sports Day. Thank you, your efforts were much appreciated.
On behalf of all their teachers, their Head of Year, Mr Cordes, and the whole Croydon High community, we wish them a wonderful summer and the brightest of bright futures.
Mrs Cook
Director of Philanthropy and External Relations |
At the beginning of the academic year, we launched our Period Project. The project, initially launched by Mrs Pattison, is now being passionately led by Mrs Webb, and aims to offer a safe environment for pupils to learn more about their menstrual cycle and how it affects their mental and physical wellbeing. Most importantly, the school encourages open discussion and conversation – both in school and at home. At the heart of this plan is our ambition to create a safe space for pupils to rehearse the challenges of the real world, and carrying on with day-to-day life while on your period is just one such challenge.
We have a staff Period Project working party that meets regularly and has been helping the Senior Leadership Team understand pupils’ experiences of periods and how they are coping with their menstrual cycles. We have so far undertaken a staff and pupil survey to gain feedback on our community’s experience of having a period, including symptoms and coping mechanisms, to inform the additional support that is provided. In the student survey, it was found that:
Lower Sixth student, Ash, has volunteered to spearhead the voice of the girls amongst the student body as our first ‘Period Prefect’ offering support and a friendly listening ear to those lower down the school, alongside our School Nurse, Mrs Bloxsome.
We now have a beautiful nurturing sanctuary in the new Wellbeing Hub with dedicated ‘Period Pods’. It’s a safe space for girls to retreat to, if they are having a difficult time on their period, complete with giant bean bags, snuggle blankets, heat packs and calming music. Girls can see the school nurse, Mrs Bloxsome, when they are struggling, who will give them a timed ticket for use of a Period Pod where they can rest and recharge for an allocated period of time.
We have invited in expert voices to create a shared language for staff and pupils, as well as curated a series of parent webinars, so that everyone learns to feel comfortable discussing periods. The first in the series took place earlier this year with Dr Karen Morton, former Croydon High girl, gynaecologist and founder of Dr Morton’s.
The theme for this year's Art Week is “Somewhere, deep inside all of us, is the power to change the world.”
Read More“Somewhere, deep inside all of us, is the power to change the world.”
What an incredible theme for Arts Week 2022!
Arts Week is a relatively new tradition at Croydon High, and one that was conceived and has been led from the start by our own remarkable, Liz Smith Head of Art and Design.
The thinking behind Arts Week is one that Mrs Smith is particularly passionate about; the idea that there is such rich learning to be gained when pupils and teachers work collaboratively approaching a topic from their different subject perspectives.
As we always say, great minds think differently!
This year Arts Week takes inspiration from Roald Dahl’s well-loved tale of Matilda, the little girl of wondrous intelligence who was so different from the rest of her family. Misunderstood by everyone, and ignored at home, Matilda escapes in to a world of reading, honing her skills and mind so much that she develops telekinetic powers.
There are so many layers to this tale and this is what Arts Week 2022 has set out to unravel, with some incredible lessons taking place around the school. Subject matter aside, the aim of the programme is also to encourage pupils to work collaboratively, to lead discussions, to take on unusual ideas and to express their own thoughts confidently. And this is what they have done!
There has been a real buzz and energy around the school, starting with the cast and crew who have been working so hard – not just this week – but for most of this half-term to put together the performance of Matilda, which took place on the evening of Thursday 7 July – and what a triumph! Enormous shout out to the whole cast who were incredibly impressive throughout but special mention to the leads, Lara, Suzie and the very scary Ellie M! Huge credit must go to the Music and Drama departments, especially Mrs Grimshaw, Mrs Webb, Miss Bradley, Mr Suranyi, Mr Ting and Mr Bishop for producing such a remarkable show.
Big shout out too, to our Year 11 helpers Maddie, Emily, Talia, Aila Sophia, and Jess who came in specially to lend a hand as well as expert choreography from L6 Olivia, Darcey and Yasmin.
Throughout Thursday and Friday Arts Week sessions took place for Year 7-9, inspired by ideas from the story of Matilda.
This last question seems most particularly apt; with the range of rich learning experiences and exposure to fascinating subjects taught by truly inspiring people, Croydon High pupils will be in the very best possible place to change this world for the better – and we have every confidence that they will do so.
Thank you to Mrs Smith for her vision and energy and unrelenting good humour and on her behalf, thank you to the wonderful team of staff and of course our pupils who have made Arts Week 2022 such a resounding success.
Mrs Cook
Director of Philanthropy and External Relations |
Sports Colours:
Netball – Lauren B, Eloise C, Pippa C, Hannah K, Jemima J, Treasure A, Shenai L, Angel M, Maya M
Hockey – Pippa C, Hannah K, Lauren B, Jemima J, Treasure A
Swimming – Maya M, Pippa C
Cross Country – Gabriella M, Pippa C
Biathlon – Pippa C
Gymnastics – Lauren B
Cricket – Eloise C, Angel M, Hannah K, Maya M, Lauren B, Treasure A, Jemima J, Emily M
Tennis – Lauren B, Sienna M, Eloise C, Pippa C, Hannah K, Jessica W
Athletics – Gabriella M, Jemima J, Lauren B, Pippa C, Treasure A, Hannah K, Angel M
Trophies:
Trophy for Senior Netball Progress – Treasure A
The Dunbar Cup for Senior Hockey Progress – Hannah K
Senor Hockey Player of the Year – Pippa C
Senior Netballer of the Year – Lauren B
Team of the Year – The Year 11 Netball Team
Effort, Commitment and Achievement in Sport Awards were given to the following girls who have given everything to the PE department over the past five years.
Y7 Visited Croydon Mosque and gave us an account of their visit.
Read MoreOn the 30th of June 2022, the pupils of Year 7 at Croydon High School travelled to the Croydon Mosque🕌. We had to wear headscarves and tights/leggings for respect, and even though many struggled, we made it in the end. The bus journey was a short 20 minute drive – everyone on the bus was fiddling with their head scarves and asking people to try to fix them as well!
Once we departed from the bus, we walked into the Mosque one by one and proceeded to take our shoes off at the entrance, and placed them in a shoe rack. After we had done this, we met the Imam of the Mosque in the main prayer hall – he was also our host throughout our trip. He introduced us to the religion of Islam and the Mosque and was very informative as we learned the whole backstory of the Mosque. Believe it or not, it was originally a very large Victorian house in 1965 and was 3 stories tall – it has now progressed into a 5 story Mosque with 12 large sections and is the place of worship to around 50,000 Muslims in Croydon. Most of the funding to make the Mosque and provide it with the things it needed was actually from Saudi Arabia. We also found out that this was the 2nd visit from Croydon High in the last couple of years, so hopefully the next Year 7 can carry on the tradition!
The mosque isn’t only for praying or studying as we found out that they want to keep the mosque as a fun place so children would want to go. In the evenings after school, children come and play games so that they enjoy their time at the mosque. This was mostly because in previous generations, most children didn’t have a say on whether they wanted to go to the Mosque. Younger children also enjoy showcasing their memorisation of the Quran.
There were a few short summaries of stories from the Quran that the Imam shared with us, and one of them was the story of ‘The Evil woman’: The Evil woman never Prayed to Allah (PBUH), or donated, or fasted etc but one day, when she went to get a drink from a well, she saw a really thirsty dog, and decided to fetch some water for the dog as well and just because of the one good deed that she did for the dog, she was let in at the gates of heaven. The Imam went on to say that Muslims don’t know what Allah (PBUH) will determine as good and bad or right and wrong and whether he will accept them on Judgement Day so whatever we do, be aware that He watches and records everything and on Judgement day, your whole life will be played back. The moral of the story and what Islam teaches to Muslims is: To appreciate those who have less, be grateful, be kind and respectful to others and much more.
He also talked about each pillar and rules that Muslims follow, such as Zakat, which is where you donate 2.5% of your money to a charity. This is to ‘cure’ greed and to make us appreciate what we have and what others don’t. Fasting is for the consciousness of God – Allah (PBUH) – and also because it is what Allah (PBUH) has told them to do. Hajj is the pilgrimage to Makkah that Muslims should make at least once in their life, and this is to connect to God.
The main hall was very spacious and also had the dome in it which was lit up by a chandelier that was donated by a visitor. There also was Arabic splashed around the dome with green vines with pink flowers surrounding it – it was quite beautiful. The carpet in the prayer halls had spaces for muslims to sit and pray in and they all faced Makkah (Mecca).
To conclude our trip to the Mosque, we would like to tell you some interesting facts that we learned or things that we didn’t know.
A bankrupt person in Islam is someone who has bad deeds equivalent to mountains who would then be denied entry at the gates of heaven on Judgement Day, e.g. someone who has done everything towards religion like praying and fasting but because they hurt other people’s feelings and said swear words or something bad to others, they are ‘Bankrupt’
Muslims pray according to the sun.
If you live in Australia you pray towards the North-West to pray towards Makkah.
Technology affects religion in both positive and negative ways.
We would like to thank all the teachers who made this interesting trip to Croydon Mosque possible.
Ahanna and Arielle, 7S |
This week our Lower Sixth students took part in workshops to help develop careers skills!
Read MoreOn Thursday, Lower Sixth took part in a workshop led by C Me Lite. The workshop involved us finding out what colour personality we were and the sort of professions would be best suited for. Many of us found it extremely interesting to find out about not only what colour personality we were, but also who else was similar to us in our year group. The session was very engaging and interactive. We were asked a series of questions which allowed us to see if we were reflective or extroverted people. It was also amazing to see how we can take the information we gained from this workshop and apply it to our future careers. Not only this, another thing that was emphasised in the session was that the introduction of artificial intelligence was going to bring in 7.2 million new jobs. Although there were four distinct colours: yellow, red, blue and green, what we all realised was that most of us were a blend of all the colours. The session ended with us discovering ways to adapt when interacting with people that have different coloured personalities to us. Overall, the workshop was very useful and we all walked away with an idea as to what careers would suit us best.
Following this, we welcomed back ex-Croydon High student, Abi Foster who now runs her own company called Elent. Abi helped us understand payslips, student loans, pensions and other relevant areas of finance.
Varjitha, Lower Sixth |
Year 10 enjoyed a rather unusual lesson on Tuesday where they were offered the opportunity to taste a lot of different typical French food – savoury and sweets, some rather weird too. They challenged their taste-buds and had a lovely time.
Here are some of the food they tried : gherkins, rillettes, saucisson, quiche Lorraine, several cheeses, petit-beurre biscuits, madeleines, traditional sweets, a galette des rois and some beignets baked by our French students, baguette, tartines, biscottes… and orangina, sirop de Grenadine and Apricot juice.
Hopefully, they will now all be able to comment on this experience in their Written and Oral work next year when we start the food and drink topic.
A fantastic way to finish the year!
Madame Paris
Head of French |
Here are some of the outstanding designs from our junior school's Modern Foreign Language summer competition!
Read MoreThe introduction of the Junior School Modern Foreign Languages summer competition sparked a flurry of entries in a wide variety of languages, from Italian to Tamil. The outstanding quality of work made the judging extremely challenging!
Well done to all the girls who took part.
Bonnes vacances!
Mme Mannooch |
Welcoming our new cohort of Academic Scholars' to senior school!
Read MoreThe newest cohort of Academic Scholars’ in our incoming Year 7 had a brilliant day on Monday 4th July. In their Academic Scholars’ induction, the group worked in teams to answer the question ‘Is a caterpillar a butterfly?’. In their presentation, they were challenged to provide two different answers. Zoe and Varjitha in the Sixth Form oversaw some team building activities and then the group had a full morning of taster lessons, including an Introduction to Classical Civilisation with Mr Flower, some logic puzzles as part of Ent Tech with Mr Mayland and Mr Murphy and harnessing the power of Thinking Mathematically with Miss Ahmad.
The pupils were delighted to receive their Academic Scholars’ badges at the end of the day. They are looking forward to representing intellectual curiosity and academic rigour to the school community. Thank you to Ms Kelly for arranging a fantastic day!
Ms Howie
Incoming Academic Scholars’ Coordinator |
Another incredible Sports Day with many records broken on the day!
Read MoreSports Day 2022 was a fantastic celebration of sporting ability, organisation, teamwork and fierce ( but good natured!) competitiveness!
It was wonderful to see the whole school out on our glorious grounds, running, jumping, throwing and cheering for all they were worth.
A significant number of school records were broken on the day and there were some incredible individual and team performances, as usual, the squadron relay was the highlight of the day. This is when the baton is passed from Reception pupils all the way up to Upper Sixth in an exciting relay that ends the day’s activities.
The final result saw Seacole crowned Sports Champions again – much to the delight of their House Sports Captains and outgoing Head of House Mrs Sharples. Congratulations Seacole!
Once pupils had been dismissed back to their classes for the end of day registration, Mrs Pattison took the opportunity to address the many parents who had spent the afternoon with us, enjoying the sports from the sidelines. Mrs Pattison thanked them for their support over the last six years and talked about how much she valued the extended community here. We then joined together to raise a toast to …the Future of Croydon High!
Huge thanks to all who made the day such a success with particular mention, of course, to the one, the only Mrs Beck. Another masterclass in organisation!
Click here for Sports Day 2022 New Records and Results.
Mrs Cook
Director of Philanthropy and External Relations |
These fabulous stories will take you around the world, back into the past or catapult you into all kinds of possible futures. So many exciting adventures await…
Happy Reading!
Ms Tapsfield
Learning Resource & Innovation Hub Manager |
Congratulations to our excellent Young Reporter Team who have put together a compilation of exciting reports in their first journal. Led by Head of English, Ms Cotton and Upper Sixth’s Anna K the publication showcases some excellent journalistic talent. A really good read!
Read MoreAspiring writer and Lower Sixth student Shriya started Croydon Chronicles. Read the last and final issue #6.
Read MoreAspiring writer and Lower Sixth student Shriya started a journalistic initiative with a friend last year, which they have called the Croydon Chronicles. The articles they write cover a wide variety of topics that interest them and their peers and include articles written by friends and teaching staff.
Episode #23 – This week, Raise Her Up features mental health campaigner, broadcaster and now Young Adult author, Natasha Devon MBE. She joins us to talk about her new novel Toxic, which addresses the topics of friendship issues, well-being and sisterhood. Natasha discusses her research around young peoples’ mental health, and shares insights into her career as an outspoken woman in the public eye, touching on how she has handled online backlash and come back stronger.
Natasha’s young adult novel Toxic comes out on 7th July and is published by UCLan.
Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast.
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.