Leadership Likes: Mrs Webb
Mrs Webb shares the incredible performance from our Ivy Players over the summer at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Read MoreWeekly News
Find out what is happening at Croydon High this week.
Mrs Webb shares the incredible performance from our Ivy Players over the summer at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Read MoreAt Croydon High School we strive to challenge our pupils to be fearless, intellectually curious and creative problem solvers. And not just during term time!
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which takes place throughout August, is the largest Arts festival in the world. Every year, thousands of performers go to the Fringe to showcase their work and make valuable connections. This summer, the festival lasted twenty four days and showcased over 50,000 performances of 3,171 shows in 255 different venues.
That might seem overwhelming to some participants, but if you’re a member of Croydon High’s Ivy Players, you obviously take this opportunity, grab it with both hands and run fearlessly with it! As you may know from my May update in Leadership Likes, thirteen of our pupils from Years 11 and the L6, travelled to the Fringe this August with “Brainstorm”, a theatrical exploration of the teenage brain, and delivered six performances at TheSpace on the Mile.
“Brainstorm” was created in just seven workshop and rehearsal days through the spring and summer term, with our director, Madeleine Corner, who previously worked with us on our 2019 Fringe project “She”. Maddy recently graduated from UAL with an MA in Directing for the Theatre and has been an incredible influence on our young performers. Madeleine encouraged our pupils to engage intellectually with the science behind the teenage brain, and then to embark on their own research to find examples of this that would engage an audience on stage. This curiosity helped to create the show that we are all so proud of!
Furthermore, Maddy’s enthusiastic approach to creative problem solving throughout the development, rehearsal and performance process modelled professionalism of the highest standard. Just one day before we left for Edinburgh, the show underwent quite a transformation following feedback from our preview audience, (as well as knowing we had to cut seven and a half minutes of content to fit our very tight venue schedule!) Our resilient young people set to the task at hand, and reshaped and rehearsed the show, under Madeleine’s determined direction, in just a few short hours during the final day of rehearsals, ready for a final run-through before we headed up North.
Putting yourself on an international stage is one thing, but what I was also particularly impressed with at this year’s Fringe festival, was the sheer gusto that our cast and crew demonstrated when publicising their show on the Royal Mile. We watched them engage passing crowds with singing and conversation, articulately describing “Brainstorm” and encouraging passers-by to pick their show out of the thousands on offer. A little over 2.2million tickets were sold at this year’s Fringe, and Croydon High’s Ivy Players contributed to over 120 of these.
Real highlights for me were not just during one of the fabulous performances our Ivy Players gave, but how they responded to the performances of others. As well as our six performances, we managed to see twenty three other shows in our 8-day visit to the Edinburgh Fringe; and for each of these shows, our pupils were the most enthusiastic, generous and supportive of audience members. Watching them take to the stage to sing and dance to “Mr Brightside” within a nano-second of being invited to do so by the cast of one of these performances will stay with me forever. Sheer joy!
If you would like to see “Brainstorm”, The Ivy Players will be performing on Tuesday September 20, 2022, at 7pm in the Senior School Hall.
Mrs Webb
Assistant Head (co-curricular) |
On Friday 10 September 2022, school life paused as we took the time to reflect upon the life and legacy of a most remarkable woman.
Read MoreMs Davies led the assembly in the Senior School and Mrs Raja in the Juniors, and both these events were tremendously dignified and indeed very moving, as the leaders of our school conveyed to our pupils just what a significant moment this is, for us as individuals, for our country and indeed for the world. Our Lower Sixth, who are away on their induction trip at the moment, were with us in spirit as Ms Davies’ assembly was streamed live to them in Birmingham after which we understand they raised a toast ( of orange juice!) to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
All our pupils, of course, responded as we would expect and the mood in school throughout the day was wholly respectful, perhaps a little quieter than usual, and certainly appropriate.
As Ms Davies communicated in her letter to parents, as a school we will now participate appropriately in the ten-day period of national mourning. We may also decide to postpone some events or activities during this time, and we will keep you informed regarding any changes as soon as we can. It is possible there may also be a bank holiday announced for the day of her funeral, and again, we will notify you once this is confirmed.
Most importantly, we will continue to reflect upon how Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II inspired the world with her many qualities and her life of service and we will endeavour to ensure that her legacy continues to inspire us all here at Croydon High.
In the words of the poet, Philip Larkin, written to mark the Silver Jubilee in 1977:
In times when nothing stood
But worsened, or grew strange,
There was one constant good:
She did not change.
36% of all grades awarded at the highest possible Grade 9
Over 60% of all grades awarded are Grade 8-9
Over 78% of all grades were Grade 7-9
Croydon High School is celebrating the outstanding endeavours of their 2022 GCSE Class, who have not only achieved impressive academic success but also embraced a unique GCSE Programme, devised by the school, to complement their studies over the last two years.
From cancelled GCSEs to outstanding A Level Results, Croydon High’s Class of 2022 finally have their chance to shine!
Read MoreThe Class of 2022 will forever be remembered as the year group who faced adversity and delivered, with an outstanding set of A Level grades exceeding the already high expectations of this talented cohort.
A poignant memorial ceremony for Mary Finch, a true Croydon High Heroine.
Read MoreOn the morning of Tuesday, 30 August 2022, some members of the Croydon High community plus local residents met at the Mary Finch memorial bench at the corner of Downs Court Road and Selcroft Road in Purley. Mary Finch was the former Head Girl at Croydon High, and on this day 100 years ago, she heroically gave her life to save another.
We wanted to mark the 100th anniversary of her death because it remains a tragically poignant example of one of the school’s cherished values of compassion and valuing others’ needs. More recently, the school’s Motto has become, “may her character and talents inspire others”. The talents of Mary Finch certainly were inspiring. At a time when women in the medical profession were very much a rarity, Mary was studying at the London School of Medicine. She had seen World War 1 come and go, through her teenage eyes and was on the verge of delivering medical care despite what would have been common knowledge of some horrific war stories locally and nationally. The school has a proud tradition of not accepting the status quo in terms of a woman’s potential, and it is on the shoulders of alumnae such as Mary, and the impressive achievements over her short life, that such ethos and culture remain inherent in the school.
Mary saved her sister from drowning in the sea whilst out swimming on holiday and then, returning to the water to save a friend, she succumbed to the strong current and tragically, drowned. Her home at the time was just around the corner from the memorial bench on Oakwood Avenue and the family remained living nearby for some time. Her old house was demolished following bomb damage during World War 2, so the bench is probably the last surviving physical evidence of her impact on the world. We will never know how much her actions that day affected the lives of those immediately involved – not just the one child she saved, but through her example and inspiration to those who knew her at the time.
On 30 August, we were joined by two pupils from Croydon High School, who will be hearing about Mary Finch again in assembly this year. Her short life will be remembered by several hundred teenagers, and many of them will be aspiring medics themselves. Her sacrifice, and the lesson about seizing opportunities lest hard times or tragedy strike, will reach these minds and continue to inspire and motivate as a result.
The bench has stood the test of time thus far, although it has seen better days! This academic year, a team of pupils intends to give it some TLC, starting with sanding down and re-varnish. For now, a team from Croydon High have given a quick spruce and tidy to the bench itself and the area around it, ready to mark the day. Thanks particularly to Mr King and sons, Mrs Beck and former parent plus volunteer school archivist, Mary Pat Larman, for their sweeping, painting, and gardening skills!
Thank you to all who attended the memorial; it was good to meet new people, all with the same aim of keeping Mary’s memory alive. A special thanks to Phil Thomas from the Riddlesdown Residents Association and John Power for alerting the local community. Thanks also go to Mrs Webb and Councillor Simon Brew, who addressed the gathering, and pupils Amalie and Arabella, who laid a wreath on behalf of Croydon High School.
A memorial prize was set up in honour of Mary Finch, declaring that she lived in the spirit in which she died. The prize was awarded to a girl in the Sixth Form for her own impressive public spirit and service to the school. The first girl to receive this prize was Doris Goodsell in 1924. We believe that this prize was last awarded in the late 1990s. It seemed an appropriate time to reinstate this prize on the 100th anniversary of Mary’s death. In June 2022, Freya Marsden was awarded The Mary Finch Prize at the Sixth Form Celebration.
Mrs Roe
Alumnae Relations Manager |
Croydon High School makes a positive footprint with Sal’s Shoes and we would love you to support our ongoing partnership.
Read MoreFeet in shoes are protected feet; feet protected from injury and infection; and, in areas of low sanitation, the spread of infection.
During the last couple of days of the summer term, together as a school community we supported this worthy cause by donating shoes of all sizes. The Senior Reception area was bursting with many bags of donations.
As a reminder, Sal’s Shoes was set up by Croydon High alumna Camilla Bowry, to re-home and repurpose shoes for those who need them, In 8 years, the charity has found new feet for over 3 million pairs of pre-loved children’s shoes in 57 countries around the world.
I would like to thank you all for your generosity; particularly the Senior Office team and the caretaking staff, especially Emma Decambre, who kindly sorted and paired all the shoes at the beginning of the summer holiday.
If you are interested in supporting this amazing charity again, or you would like to encourage others to do so, visit the website here. https://www.salsshoes.com/donations/toetotoe/
IF WE ALL WORK TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE A MUCH BIGGER DIFFERENCE, MUCH MORE QUICKLY
Mrs Beck
Head of Community & PE Department |
Season 2 Episode #1 – Raise Her Up from the GDST is back for Season 2 with an incredible start! Our guest for Episode 1 of Season 2 is Sunday Times bestselling author, presenter, journalist, fashionista and all round role model Candice Brathwaite. Her first book, I Am Not Your Baby Mother, addressed the issue she found when she became a mother herself: that the media landscape was absolutely not representative of her own experience as a woman of colour. Her follow up, Sista Sister, was a series of essays setting out for a younger generation what she would have liked to know herself about things like money, friendship, love and self-respect, when she was growing up. She is back with her first work of fiction: a YA book, Cuts Both Ways, a love story – and she joins us on Raise Her Up to talk about all this and more.
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.