It was with a sense of trepidation and excitement that I attended a Conference at Epsom College on Artificial Intelligence, or ‘AI’, before the half term break. As my first venture to a conference since taking on the role of Deputy Head, it did not disappoint. However, whilst previously I had hoped to leave more informed about the lightning fast developments within the AI sphere, I also left with conflicting senses of both hope, in terms of the transformative potential of such nascent technologies, but also a sense of foreboding as to how we as a Croydon High community could possibly charter what could be stormy seas ahead.

It has been pleasing to see the AI debate being played out in the media in recent weeks, drawing attention to the need for a regulatory body, international in scope, to attempt to harness the creative powers of AI for the greater good. I have recently put my name to a letter sent to The Times newspaper on the back of the Conference, calling for the UK government to act in creating a regulatory body which empowers educators with the best aspects of AI, rather than playing to the advantage of the large educational technology companies.

Currently, as a Senior Leadership Team, we are devising strategy on how to best exploit the obvious potential to enhance learning opportunities for pupils, whilst devising how new technologies can be used in an ethical way. It will be critical moving forward that we are able to both protect the academic integrity of a pupil’s work, but also the individual freedoms and liberties which we all enjoy. These could be at threat if too much personal information is provided and subsequently stored by an AI system, for instance, or if harmful advice is given.

Certainly, the opportunities for creativity seem to be unbounded, and I was struck at the Conference at how Bing Image Creator could be utilised within an English lesson, with more and more detailed images being produced dependent upon the text produced to create it. Looking back to my own school days, such a tool would have revolutionised my attitude towards creative writing if I knew an image would be created by my descriptive writing.

Knowing how we respond as a community to big changes, I am confident that we will forge the right path as to how we interact with AI at Croydon High, and I look forward to working with our pupils over the coming months to gain both their opinions and insight as to how our community can use AI in the best way. Perhaps I should have listened to a piece of advice from a colleague and used ChatGPT to make this piece a little better. Or maybe I did…

Mr Ben Rew
Deputy Head (Academic)

Chimmy Ngoma Class of 2012

Chimmy was always destined for success! She received the Margaret Adams Award for Outstanding GCSE Results and became Head Girl of Croydon High School in 2011. Her team won the Best Marketing Campaign at the GDST Young Leaders’ Convention 2011. She left Croydon High and went on to gain a Master of Science in Natural Sciences at Lancaster University.

Chimmy started at Calastone in 2018 as an Analyst and is now their Sales Enablement Associate, ensuring their sales team has the information, tools, and content they need to close deals more efficiently. Calastone is the largest global funds network, connecting the world’s leading financial organisations. FinTech is the future of finance, and working at Calastone allows Chimmy to be at the forefront of this, providing modern and future-proof technology to major financial institutions across the globe.

Chimmy champions Diversity and Inclusion at Calastone and helped to lead and establish the Corporate Social Responsibility programme from inception. In the past few years, she has set up awareness months, brought necessary conversations to the table, raised donations for relevant charities and organised initiatives to give employees across the organisation a voice to speak or a space to listen and be inspired. Chimmy won a Calastone Value Champion Award in 2023 for her efforts.

Her passion for this area has engaged senior leadership and colleagues throughout the company to support CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiatives and consider these topics at multiple levels. Her ability to discuss these sensitive topics with empathy has allowed people to engage more confidently with different perspectives and cultures, improving their understanding and, thus, compassion.

This work has led to her being invited to speak publicly on these issues and consult privately on other businesses as well as being invited to join the advisory board of Women In Asset Servicing, recently presenting as the keynote speaker and judge at the Find Your Voice 2023 event and as a panellist with Connie Lindsey, CSR Lead at Northern Trust but more notably, the co-chair of the Obama Foundation Inclusion Council. Driving inclusion for everyone in business is a passion for Chimmy, and she is grateful to have the platform to create these conversations.

Chimmy also volunteers as Head of Community and Fund-Raising for the Free Books Campaign, an initiative set up to get books by authors of colour to those that cannot afford them, as featured in Huffpost, The Guardian and BBC.

Last year Chimmy was named in the INvolve Women Future Leaders Role Model List 2022. INvolve is a consultancy and global network, driving diversity and inclusion in business. Through delivering advisory solutions, awareness workshops, and talent development programmes, INvolve drives cultural change and creates inclusive workplaces where all individuals can succeed.

Chimmy was also named part of the Women in Fintech Powerlist 2022, which celebrates some amazing women making an impact across the FinTech and Financial Services space. Chimmy said, “To be recognised for the work I’ve put into our CSR work over the last few years, specifically EDI and Mental Health, at Calastone is really rewarding. It’s been a journey with lots of learning curves, but I’m so proud of everything the CSR team has accomplished so far, and I look forward to seeing what we can do in the future! The Powerlist shines a spotlight on the great work of so many fantastic women, and it was a wonderful surprise to find I had been included in the ‘Technology Professionals’ category.”

FinTech states that these female Technology Professionals are striving to contribute to the heart of the Tech part of FinTech. From designing or implementing complex software packages to making an innovative contribution to their firm’s systems or processes, they take technology to the next level.

Chimmy told us,

“A highlight at Croydon High had to be the Fashion Show – although dancing wasn’t my thing, it was the one opportunity my dramatic flair came in handy as a compere. Being very musical, I did love having so many opportunities to perform and play music at school. I also appreciated the space created as a woman to pursue STEM subjects. Being in an environment where I didn’t have to worry about studying “boys’ subjects” prepared me to undertake a challenging science degree and go on to tutor young people in these subjects. Being at Croydon High also allowed me to form friendships with some pretty sensational women – I’m so proud when I see what people from my year (and other years) are achieving!

“Croydon High really instilled a level of confidence in myself that I can go anywhere and do anything. They helped cultivate a broad view of the world and allowed me to grow as a person. Without Croydon High, I probably wouldn’t be working in tech today – an industry where women are often underrepresented – and advocating for initiatives that improve diversity. I started my first initiatives at Croydon High, and that really taught me how I can create my own spaces wherever I go.”

We asked Chimmy what she enjoys in her spare time,

“I like to do or be around creativity, whether that is playing music or listening to live music, going to the theatre, writing, and I’ve even picked up painting recently. It’s important to me to balance out creative pursuits with my day-to-day. Education has always been valued in my family so to give back, I volunteer tutoring young people in science up to A Level and provide flute/recorder lessons to young girls. My involvement in D&I initiatives like the Free Books Campaign, an incredible initiative to get books by authors of colour to people that don’t have access to books, and Women In Asset Servicing, of which I am on the board, also keeps me busy!”

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

“I’d say definitely do not try and dye your own hair red. It doesn’t work, you won’t look like Rihanna and the bathroom will look like a crime scene. I’d also say don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re still learning so many lessons you won’t even realise them yet, but being open with others and seeking help when you need it is crucial. My experience has taught me that communicating with the people around you is essential – almost everything can be solved with an open and honest conversation.”

Finally, we asked Chimmy about her aspirations for the future.

“To enact change. To make a difference in people’s lives. Ultimately, I want to tread a path that makes it easier for people from all different backgrounds to pursue their dreams. And of course, I hope to have fun while doing it – because what’s the point of life if you’re not enjoying it?”

Mrs Karen Roe
Alumnae Relations Manager

Our Year 4 girls thoroughly enjoyed two days at Frylands Wood. The weather was fantastic, the girls enjoyed soaking up the energy from the sun to help them take part in numerous outdoor activities. For example, archery, an obstacle course, blindfold trail and orienteering. They even had to learn the skill of making their own beds in preparation for their night away, and for many, it was their first time away from home. Here’s what our girls had to say:

“I loved Frylands Wood because we got to do lots of fun activities.”
“I really liked going as I did lots of things I wouldn’t normally do.”
“Frylands Wood was really fun!”

Mr David Johnston
Assistant Head of Junior School

During the May half term, 38 Year 9 students travelled to Barcelona on a Hockey and Netball Tour. Each day was busy with many activities planned. Once we arrived in Barcelona on Sunday, we travelled by coach to a hockey training session in the sun before travelling to our hotel in Salou to check in. On the first full day, Monday, we enjoyed an amazing day at Port Aventura Theme Park where we went on many different rides. From massive roller coasters to the water ride that we all went on together at the end, we had lots of fun. The fun continued with a trip to the beach, only a few minutes walk from our hotel. It was great to play in the sea and on the sand while the sun was shining, just like it did for most of the trip!

After dinner we enjoyed souvenir shopping in the local shops near our hotel. On Tuesday we had netball training in the morning, followed by hockey training in the afternoon and a hockey match in the evening. The hockey teams we played were all very strong and we lost two of our matches and drew the third; we played well and put into practice everything we had learnt this year. We also had a great time mixing in with the Spanish teams after our game and made lots of new friends to add on Snapchat!

On Wednesday we had more netball training followed by a netball tournament, where all of our teams played brilliantly and our A team won their tournament, which was particularly impressive as it was an U15 tournament. In the evening, we made the most of both pools in the hotel with a water polo match and also with a mini golf tournament by one of the pools. Our last evening in the hotel ended well with a fun disco with the other schools that were there too. On Thursday we travelled into the city for the day to do shopping and sightseeing; everyone enjoyed exploring the city.

My favourite part of the trip was all the singing on the coach rides, as well as the theme park and the delicious food! Thank you to Mrs Head, Mr Baker, Ms Atkinson and Mr Kazi for taking us on the trip, as well as Mrs Miller for organising it. By the time we were back on the plane we were all exhausted but would have loved to do it all over again.

Sophie C
Year 9

On the 2 June, the Astrogazers came into school during half-term to complete the building of the payload. Watch this clip to get a glimpse of the work we did. We cannot wait until we get a chance to carry out a mock flight test on the 26 June! We will be using the payload to find out about temperature and humidity as well as how cosmic rays affect different metals.

Our Junior School took part in our competition to design the Astrogazers logo and we have received such wonderful entries! The two winning designs of the Astrogazers logo will be attached to both wings of the payload. Ms Davies will have the difficult task of selecting the two winning designs which will go to the edge of space. The winners will be decided by next week.

Astrogazers have faced some slight technical issues whilst carrying out functionality tests, the GPS trackers were failing to connect to the network. We decided to buy a GPS tracker that isn’t reliant on the mobile phone network, this will allow us to track the payload at real-time. We also decided to buy a Bluetooth tracker to track the payload on the landing site. We have been extremely grateful to receive generous donations from the Kythreotis family (The Artemis Clinic and Inwood Developments) to fund the purchase of the tracker.

Mrs Karteepan will be heading over to University of Bath next week to do a dry run of the launch and make preparations for the launch. We cannot wait until we get a chance to carry out a mock flight test on the 26 of June at Croydon High!

Follow us on Instagram and YouTube to get all the updates on our launch!

Anaiya S and Emily F
Year 8
Astrogazers Deputy Marketing Officers

On 25 May, Year 2 had the opportunity to visit The Tower of London. As we arrived, we were greeted by a gentleman from the 17th century – a friend of Samuel Pepys no less! He took us all to the White Tower for a dramatic workshop about The Great Fire of London. The children re-enacted how the fire began and spread, showing fantastic knowledge from their history lessons. After the workshop, we toured the area, seeing ravens, Yeoman of the Guard and walking the ramparts. Our walk took in various different towers, including the study where Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned and the tower that housed the two princes. We enjoyed a fabulous trip, made even better by it being a gloriously sunny day.

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

Our Junior Choir, comprising 80 students from Year 7 and Year 8 (along with 8 staff) headed to Disneyland Paris to perform on the Videopolis stage.

We set off early on Friday morning on two coaches, crossing the channel on a ferry from Dover to Calais, arriving at our accommodation near Paris on Friday evening. On Saturday morning, we headed to Disneyland Paris where we were met by our Disneyland rep, who took us into the park to prepare for our performance. Before our soundcheck, we got to watch the junior choir from our sister GDST school (Nottingham Girls’ High School) conduct their rehearsal. We then had our soundcheck and performance (which included songs from Oliver! as well as a Disney princess medley and our signature ‘Summer Holiday’ to end), before heading into the park to enjoy the rides and attractions (we did pop back to watch Nottingham Girls’ show too). Tired and happy, we headed back to the accommodation in the evening for some much-needed rest.

Sunday morning saw us head into central Paris to enjoy a boat cruise on the River Seine, taking in many of the famous sights including the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral… and we also spotted the Arc de Triomphe while driving down the Champs-Élysées on our coach journey afterwards. We finally arrived back at Croydon High late on Sunday evening, after a brilliant weekend to start our half-term break.

Mr. J. Ting
Digital Lead, Teacher of Music and Enterprise Technology

This week, our Year 5 pupils experienced an afternoon of activities to build some essential skills necessary for setting up and running a successful business in a socially responsible and sustainable way.

A visit to the local ARC Centre enabled our pupils to hear about the conservation and care of animals in the UK. Year 5 enjoyed meeting meerkats, goats, monkeys and parrots to name but a few and they even got to stroke a capybara. Pupils then took part in a financial strategy game to consider how animals can receive the highest standards of care, alongside options for releasing animals into their natural environment.

Back in school, our enterprise session was expertly led by Mrs Serradilla (Head of Business and Economics) who was ably assisted by our entrepreneurial Sixth Form students. Here, our Year 5s were introduced to skills for setting up a business. Pupils worked on tasks to build enterprise skills such as critical thinking and problem solving to create a product in a socially responsible and sustainable manner. All pupils benefited from the guidance of our wonderful Lower Sixth pupils to create a brand for their business, together with costings for their product. Each group pitched their business in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style manner to the Sixth Form Team judges. All pupils were suitably rewarded with a sweet treat which marked the end of a great afternoon.

“This was an amazing experience for me, meeting the rangers, learning about the animals and about making a business.”
Amaya S

“At The Arc Centre, we went on a tour exploring the different animals. There was a mini rain forest, which mirrored an actual rain forest, there were parrots, birds and a monkey. There was a small desert containing a leopard print tortoise and a family of meerkats! It was a really fun experience.”
Sofia L

Mrs Karen Bower
Year 5 Class Teacher

I haven’t had my hair cut short since I was nine years old. So, when I first heard about the Little Princess Trust, a charity which collects donated hair and has it made into wigs for people with cancer whose hair has fallen out due to treatment, I thought it would be a wonderful idea to donate my hair. It makes me immeasurably happy to know that I have helped someone who is going through a tough time. Cutting my hair also helped me out too, because you would not believe the length of time it takes to wash it and brush it! However, it wasn’t as simple as just snipping it all off; I had to raise a great deal of money (the suggested amount was around £550) so the Trust could make my hair into a wig. This was quite difficult at first, but I managed to raise almost £200 by doing a bake sale for my neighbours on a Sunday morning. I was also sponsored by my parents’ friends and relatives, which really helped me out. On the day, my hair was separated into four sections. 54 cm of it was cut off and sent to the Trust in an envelope. The first thing I noticed was how light my head felt afterwards – which is probably a good thing as I start to revise for my A-Levels next year! My hairdresser also allowed me to take the first snip, which was quite an emotional experience. I hope my actions will inspire others lower down the school to cut their own long hair and raise money for charity. I’ll leave you with a quote from my little sister. When I returned home after the haircut, she took one look at me and gasped, “Oh no! You’re not Rapunzel anymore!”

Nina D
Lower Sixth

More information coming soon

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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!