World Book Day was a fantastic opportunity for our students to showcase their enthusiasm for reading and storytelling. Below, one of our prefects shares a thoughtful summary of the day’s events.

The course takes its name from the agora of ancient Greece, the central meeting place where citizens gathered to discuss and reflect on the important questions of their time. That spirit lives on here. The primary purpose of the course is to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to engage confidently in the long-standing political and social debates that still define the modern world.

This development supports the Department for Education’s (DfE) Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, which requires all education settings to have a nominated Sustainability Lead and a Climate Action Plan in place by 2025. As a school community, we are proud to be taking proactive steps towards meeting—and exceeding—these expectations.

Sixth Form Open Evening 2025 - Wallington High School for Girls

Waiting list positions for entry into Year 7 in September 2025 will not be available until after 22^nd April. To request a waiting list position please email admissions@girlslearningtrust.org after 22^nd April and we will respond to this request. Waiting list positions will not be provided over the telephone.

If you would like to register for the SET for 2026 entry our website will be updated in early March with key dates and FAQ’s. Our open event will take place in July and information on how to book will be published on our website in May.

Apart from educational research, the shift in emphasis from summative to formative assessment was also born from a concern that students were less interested in learning and more interested in performance (i.e. grades and how they compared to their peers). Given that we are a selective school, this is no surprise. Like many grammar schools in the area, we firmly believe that to develop a true love of learning and provide our students with the best chance of achieving their potential, we needed to adopt an approach to assessment that encouraged a growth mindset and placed learning, not grades, centre stage. This doesn’t mean we have removed formal summative assessments; departments are still expected to complete these at least once a year. However, there is now a much greater emphasis on using assessment as a tool not simply to measure, but to move learning forward.

It is still early days, and we will closely monitor the impact of the new approach, with an eye to making changes where necessary. However, it is pleasing to note that student feedback evidences a significant change and uptake in formative assessment practices in class. It is no small task to change school culture, but we hope our new approach to assessment will play a key role in moving us to a much richer, healthier, and productive view of learning that isn’t bound by grades, which in the long run will ultimately lead to better outcomes, both academic and pastoral, for all. If you would like to read our new assessment policy. It can be found here.

At Wallington High School for Girls, our approach to mental health is part of a consistent whole school approach which involves providing a structured school environment with clear expectations of behaviour, well communicated social norms and routines, which are reinforced with highly consistent consequence systems. This is paired with an individualised graduated response in the form of our Social, Emotional and Mental Health Provision Map which can be found in our Mental Health Policy on our website. We believe it is important that children are provided with support as soon as a problem emerges, at any point in their life. Providing early help is more effective in promoting the welfare of children than reacting later. For more information on this please see our Mental Health Policy. 

We pride ourselves in the level of pastoral care we offer at Wallington High School for Girls. We also recognise that working with families in promoting wellbeing as an ongoing topic of conversation and consideration within the home is key to supporting the mental health and emotional needs of our pupils. Before Christmas we sent out a survey to students asking for their views and opinions on how the school supports students with their mental health and wellbeing. When asked what the school does well to support students with their mental health and wellbeing, the top 5 options for support were: the Green Room, the range of different people to talk to, Teddy the Wellbeing Dog, Wellbeing Mentors and our friendly staff. We are due to re-send this survey in the Summer Term to gather more information. Mrs O’Brien also sent a survey to parents earlier this year asking for their thoughts on mental health support in school. 87% of parents felt that the school supports their child’s mental health and wellbeing.   

Looking after our mental health is important for all of us. Just like with physical health, there are things we can all do to help us look after our mental wellbeing and face the challenges life throws at us. For more information please visit this website - https://mentalhealth-uk.org/help-and-information/health-and-wellbeing/  

- Miss M Gough

Assistant Headteacher 

Designated Safeguarding Lead

Science subjects are our most popular at A level, and 71% of our students study at least one science subject. 

While it is great that so many of our students study science it means demand on our existing facilities is high. This surge in demand has put a strain on our laboratory resources, impacting both the quality of practical education and our teachers' ability to deliver the curriculum effectively in some of our spaces. 

We rightly believe our students deserve the best immersive, practical education that science is meant to provide, and that our teachers should be able to deliver the curriculum to the best of their ability in laboratories that are fit for purpose. 

We hope to raise the funds to…

• refurbish one of our oldest and lowest quality laboratories, infusing it with inspiration so that it sparks a love of Chemistry in future students. This includes new furniture, equipment, and redecoration.  

• reconfigure and refurbish three of our currently unsuitable laboratories, making them better equipped to handle the variety of practical work required in A level Chemistry, while also supporting teachers in engaging students in the theoretical aspects of the subject.  

This campaign is very important to us because many universities require students to have deep experience with laboratory work before they are admitted to science programmes. Providing modern science laboratories that are equipped appropriately is crucial as we prepare students for higher education and give them a head start in their future studies. 

The pack explains our fundraising campaign in detail and how you can contribute. Please do take a look so you can see why we need to raise this amount of money to upgrade our science facilities. This is especially important to us as we have so many students studying science and pursuing STEM pathways. 

Best wishes,

Tracey O’Brien

Headteacher

As we draw to a close of the spring term, it’s important that we reflect on the wonderful achievements of our students. In particular, I would like to talk about our new Senior Prefect Team.

Year 12 begin the Spring term with an exciting Hustings event whereby students who wish to be considered for the Senior Prefect Team deliver a speech to their fellow peers. 98 students took to the stage which is almost 40% of the Year 12 cohort. Here is a snapshot of some of the posters that students created to support their speech: 

At this point, both colleagues and Year 12 voted on who they thought should be considered for a student leadership role. 19 students were selected and were then given a further opportunity to run for the position of Head Girl. Owing to the responsibility associated with these roles, it felt important to gain the insight of all students within the school. This meant that our candidates delivered their speech again to every student though assemblies. We were so proud of our candidates, who each morning delivered their speech with confidence, determination and grace.

The final stage of the selection process was an interview with Ms O’Brien and Mrs Emkes, whereby candidates shared their vision for the role. This was not an easy decision, deliberations taking many hours before finally the roles of the team were decided. We are delighted therefore, to introduce the 2024-2025 team and wish them every success in their roles.

Years 9, 11 and 13 have had information in their PSHCE programme about careers to help them with their option choices. Year 8, 10 and 12 will benefit from careers lessons later in the year and Year 7 are being introduced to the UNIFROG package; a careers and subject options tool that the school subscribes to. We have also had a big push with careers in the curriculum and students should have noticed this in lessons, with some class work being linked to a variety of careers paths. Some subjects have had visits from industry as part of their curriculum for example Mott McDonald in technology and Meta in computing.

Our Year 13 interview day in November was a huge success. As well as workshops from Leicester University and ASK, students received a minimum of 2 interviews related to their future plans. We were thankful to the 100 external volunteers, mainly from our parent and alumni community, who joined us to assist with this. Our visitors commented on how impressed they were with our students and how they were able to articulate their passions and experiences. Potential Oxbridge students had a dedicated hub on this day to expose them to the kinds of questions they may face at interview.  Our medical, dental and vet students were put through their paces in a Multiple-Mini Interview event, where they attended six different interviews which tested aspects such as dexterity, ethical awareness and dealing with difficult situations. This event, in October, was again supported by large numbers of external volunteers. Year 9 and 11 have been visited by local Croydon and Coulsdon Colleges, so they are informed about all the qualifications available to them in their next steps.

Upcoming events include Makers of the Future Day for Year 12. Pupils will get information about applying for their next steps and it includes a fair with visitors from universities, apprenticeship providers and employers. The lower school will also have a Makers of the Future Day in the summer. Activities will include visits from employers as well as an opportunity to research career paths they may wish to follow. This was a new event last year - it was very successful and included visits from doctors, lawyers, engineers and professionals from finance and IT amongst others.

A huge part of our careers offer is experiences of the workplace. Year 8 are continuing to spend a day in reception helping the school run smoothly and developing communication and organisation skills and our Year 9s have the opportunity to go to work with friends or family in March. In July, Year 11 and Year 12 will complete their week of work experience. Some of the placements logged already on UNIFROG look amazing such as Sky, Greater Anglia, London Film School, Land Registry and Global Logic. Students have also secured placements at hospitals, dental practices, pharmacy’s, primary schools and working with local MP’s.

Large numbers of our Year 12 students are assisting with our primary outreach programme which again gives them first-hand experience of working within the local community. Activities include supporting students with Maths and English, helping during practical lessons and organising sports events.

Results from the parent survey earlier this show that parents would like more information on where to access careers information and what is in our careers programme. The best place to start in the website and the Wallington Week but we will aim to communicate more often about this with you about what your daughters are doing in terms of careers. Parents have recently been shared logins to the e-Clips platform and UNIFROG logins will soon follow. Please take a look at the excellent resources on these websites and discuss them with your children, as they are using them in school.

As always we would love your feedback and help with our careers programme. Please look out for communications asking for assistance and feel free to contact us directly.

To continue the ‘Saluting Our Sisters Theme’ we also displayed posters on black female scientists, which were displayed on the TV screens around the school throughout the month. Furthermore, we created a BHM Pop Quiz to highlight the often-underappreciated contributions of black people to society. This was an interactive event, aiming to educate in a fun and informal way.  

It was also great to see so many students performing in our BHM Poetry Slam, focusing on the theme of “Empowerment”. Creating a supportive space for students to speak up was really important to us, and the school spirit was high during this session.  

We were excited to welcome a guest speaker to the Year 13 lecture programme, who discussed pivotal yet underappreciated black women throughout history. Examples included Nanny of the Maroons and Winnie Mandela and this celebration of black women in history’s narrative was truly an empowering experience.  

As well as this, ACS’s assembly to Sixth Form concerning black female inventors, was enlightening. For example, we learned that the people behind the GPS system and safety cameras were black women. We really appreciated the opportunities in the past month to re-centre black women and their stories in a narrative often written by others.  

We were also delighted to host our Fusion Showcase on the 24^th November which is a combined Black History Month and Diwali event. This involved dance pieces, singing, spoken word and so much more. This event was a celebration of our cultures, with the school community invited to enjoy the diversity of our school. We had an excellent turnout and look forward to seeing some of these performances again at the school Winter Fair and end of term assembly.

Just before half term we hosted our annual Multiple Medical Interviews for all our Year 13 prospective Medics, Dentists and Veterinary Scientists. Welcoming 16 Qualified Doctors into school from our community, students were put through their paces across a number of different stations testing their passion for the subject along with their communication skills and understanding of medical ethics. Probably one of the most challenging stations on the evening was our manual dexterity station, at which students had a short time limit in which to thread needles and pick up small objects with very fine tweezers. The individual feedback to students from all of our wonderful volunteers was amazing and our Year 13 students have lots to take away to support them with their interviews coming up in December. Thank-you to all the fabulous people both in and out of school that gave up their time to support this event. 

Oxbridge Evening - November 2023

On Wednesday we welcomed our Oxford University school liaison into Wallington to lead a student and parent information evening. This event was really well attended with around 80 students all exploring the idea of what studying at Oxbridge would look like for them. Speaking to many students and parents at the end of the evening it was clear the presentation had sparked lots of enquiry and excitement. We will be sending the presentation home to parents this week to support anyone that was unable to attend and look forward to supporting Y12 students on the start of their higher education journeys in the coming months. 

Government funding for schools is under significant pressure. Over the past ten years we have seen a considerable reduction in the amount of money we have to invest in the facilities we provide for our students, and our ability to enrich their experience outside of the classroom.

Schools across the country have been hit by rising prices – including massive jumps in energy bills – and increasing staff costs that have not been fully funded by the government.

More than ever, we are relying on the generous voluntary donations from  parents, carers and alumnae to provide the very best for our students.

Our School Fund empowers our school community to voluntarily support our extra curricula enrichment programme, and to help improve our facilities further.

We consider this provision a key part of our vision to provide a holistic experience for our young people, which focuses on social, cultural, and emotional capital as well as high academic achievement.

Our core values are curiosity, courage and compassion. Our School Fund gives us the resources to support our students in exploring these key development areas outside of their academic studies.

PAST PROJECTS IT HAS FUNDED

Over the past few years, projects that our School Fund has supported (either funding in full or helping us go beyond the ‘basics’) include:

• A major capital investment to build the school’s sports hall, providing students with a high-quality, multipurpose facility that underpins our active and successful sports and physical education programme.

• The refurbishment of the outdoor space near the Theology and Philosophy block, creating a more pleasant external environment.

• The initial funding for a major project to rebuild our canteen and dining room, doubling the space for students to socialise in.

• Refurbishment of classrooms, IT rooms and formal Sixth Form study space to provide an environment more conducive to learning, where students can develop their independent study skills.

• Resourcing our library and providing additional enrichment opportunities, such as trampolining, gymnastics & orchestra.

FUNDING FUTURE PROJECTS

In the future, we are asking for regular voluntary donations to enable this investment to continue, as well as raise funds to support a number of new projects such as:

• We are looking to match some external bid funding with school fund donations in order to double the amount of science laboratories we can improve and give us the best shot possible at securing the external funding, whilst also ensuring our provision meets our high expectations and increasing demands.

• We would like to refurbish our current Sixth Form common room to create a more welcoming space for students to socialise in during break and lunchtimes and to create an informal study space. 

• We would like to increase the breadth & depth of our enrichment projects, to employ coaches to support our students’ creativity such as visiting artists, authors and lecturers. This would also cover the costs of any regional/national competitions our students may reach.

• If the funding bid to create a new canteen is successful, we want to upgrade the external landscaping and outdoor social space around it to provide another higher quality social space.

Ms T O'Brien
Headteacher

HOW MUCH TO DONATE?

Obviously how much you choose to donate is a personal decision and entirely voluntary. Parents often ask us how much we think is reasonable.

Most parents donate £50 per month via direct debit, although some choose to donate more – it’s entirely up to you. Every pound you give us, no matter the value, helps us deliver exciting and rewarding activities for your children.

Obviously, it makes it much easier for us to plan the usage of this investment if we receive regular donations rather than one off gifts.

WHAT IS GIFT AID?

As a member of the Girls’ Learning Trust, Wallington High School for Girls has the same status as a charity. Gift Aid allows UK charities to claim back the basic rate tax already paid on donations by the donor. This means we can claim back from the government on your behalf 25p for every £1 donated, boosting the value of the donation by a quarter.

You can find out more about Gift Aid here: www.gov.uk/donating-to-charity/gift-aid.

HOW TO DONATE?

Donating money to the School Fund couldn’t be easier. There are three different ways depending on your preference.

1. DIRECT DEBIT or DEBIT CARD
   (easiest for the school)

We have set up a special donation page with our trusted provider ParentPay where you can make a one-off card payment. 

https://app.parentpay.com/ParentPayShop/Foc/Default.aspx?shopid=15025  

Please ensure you use the reference code YEAR / TUTOR GROUP (if known) / FULL NAME OF STUDENT to help us to identify your payment. 

2. BANK TRANSFER

We are also able to receive donations via bank transfer. Please ensure you use the reference code YEAR / TUTOR GROUP (if known) / FULL NAME OF STUDENT to help us to identify it.

Account Number: 53368060

Sort Code: 30-98-36

If you choose to donate this way, we are only able to receive Gift Aid if you complete the attached form and return it to the School Office.

3. STANDING ORDER

For those who prefer to donate via standing order, we’ve attached the forms you’ll need to complete to this information pack.

You can return these forms electronically by adding a scanned version of your signature, and then emailing this directly to us: finance@girlslearningtrust.org 

Or you can print the forms provided below and return the originals to via the School Office – where we also have hard copies already printed if that’s easier.

Tracey O’Brien has a substantial leadership background in London schools and is currently the Headteacher at the London Welsh School. She will be joining Wallington High School for Girls in September 2023 and is looking forward to meeting the students and parents.

Catherine Godyn, the school's Deputy Head, will be stepping in as the Acting Headteacher from 1st May until Ms O’Brien takes up her position. The school expresses their confidence in Mrs Godyn's leadership abilities and thanks her for stepping up during this tenure.

The announcement of Ms O’Brien's appointment has been welcomed by the school's community, who are excited about the new Headteacher's arrival and the direction she will take the school in. The school hopes that Ms O’Brien will build on the legacy of Richard Booth and continue to provide excellent education for its students.

This dispute is between the government and teachers and concerns the funding of schools, the erosion of educators’ pay and the subsequent difficulties this causes for recruitment, especially in shortage subjects. The current pay deals for staff have not been fully funded by the government and were agreed by the government after schools had set their budgets, leaving schools to have to cut back on other areas that benefit students.

Teachers are not compelled to inform their Headteacher on their plans to strike and staff not striking are not allowed to cover colleagues who are on strike. Therefore, for the purpose of the strike day lessons are suspended and there will be no remote teaching, although teachers may set work.

On both strike days, the school will be open to students whose parents/carers are critical workers. Additionally, the school will contact families whose children may particularly benefit from studying in a routine, supervised and familiar environment.

For specific arrangements made for these students as well as students expected in, please refer to the communication sent via Parent Mail on Friday 10th March. 

Further potential days of industrial action are:

• Thurs 2nd March (London and the South West and South East of England)
• Wed 15th March (nationally)
• Thurs 16th March (nationally)

Although the Trust has been formally notified by trade union of their intention to strike, there is also the possibility that through ongoing negotiations the strikes may not take place.

This dispute is between the government and teachers and concerns the funding of schools, the erosion of educators’ pay and the subsequent difficulties this causes for recruitment, especially in shortage subjects. The current pay deals for staff have not been fully funded by the government and were agreed by the government after schools had set their budgets, leaving schools to have to cut back on other areas that benefit students.

We are conscious that school closures inconvenience parents/carers and disrupt learners’ education and so I am writing to give you as much notice as possible so that you can make arrangements if school is not open for your
daughter’s year group on a proposed strike day. As such, it is vital that parents plan for alternative childcare where necessary. Different arrangements may need to be made for any further strike days.

Teachers are not compelled to inform their Headteacher on their plans to strike and staff not striking are not allowed to cover colleagues who are on strike. Therefore, for the purpose of the strike day lessons are suspended and there will be no remote learning.

Schools locally will have varying numbers of NEU members; therefore, the impact of the potential strike will differ from school to school.

Our aim is to provide clarity about arrangements for the first proposed strike day on Wednesday 1 February. Details about future strike days will follow.

Arrangements for Wednesday 1 February

In terms of arrangements for 1 February, following a risk assessment considering the safety of staff and students, the school will remain open to all staff not involved in industrial action. It will remain open to students in Year 11 who will be expected in school as well as those whose parents/carers are critical workers. Additionally, the school will contact families whose children may particularly benefit from studying in a routine, supervised and familiar environment.

All other students are to remain at home.

Year 11 students

Year 11 students are expected in school and will have a bespoke curriculum for that day, including completing the Intermediate Maths Challenge under exam conditions which was already scheduled on the day (they will need a
rubber, pencil and clear water bottle). Timings for the school day will be as normal.

They will need to arrive by 8.25am as normal and in full school uniform.

They will need to arrive by 8.25am as normal and in full school uniform.

There will be a food service available in the canteen at break and lunchtimes for students and staff.

As always, we will keep parents informed if any of these arrangements change.

Their hard work, dedication, and commitment have truly paid off, and we couldn't be prouder of their accomplishments.

These results are a testament to the effort and determination that each and every student has put in and the resilience they demonstrated through challenging times. We must also acknowledge the support provided by our dedicated staff members and the encouragement from our families.

GCSE - 36.5% of all entries were grade 9, 62.6% grades 9 or 8

A Level -  17.6% of all entries were grade A*,  50% were grades A* or A, 75.5% Grades A*-B

Once again, congratulations to our exceptional Year 11 and 13 students - you truly are heirs of the past, makers of the future, and you have made us all incredibly proud. We are very pleased to share that our headline figures are above our 2019 outcomes...

Mrs T O'Brien

HeadTeacher 

For Mental Health Awareness Week this year, we're raising awareness of the impact of loneliness on our mental health and the practical steps we can take to address it.  

Dealing with loneliness can be difficult. But there are things we can all do to cope with loneliness and prevent some of the negative feelings and mental health problems that can come with it.

People who will listen:

• Student Space
• Muslim Youth Helpline
• Mermaids
• The Mix
• Shout
• Samaritans
• The hub of hope
• Side by side

Useful Links:

• Isolation and loneliness - What’s up with everyone?
• Overcoming loneliness at university: my mental health journey
• 15 things to do if you are feeling lonely
• Headspace - How to deal with loneliness

The last two years have reminded us how much harder grief is when you are isolated from those whom you care about and those who support you. While life is beginning to return to normal for some people, several million people are still living with the trauma of loss, and not being able to grieve properly. This includes many children as well as adults. We need to come together, in our streets, workplaces, schools and communities, as well as with the nation at large, to acknowledge and soothe this pain.

Let’s make the legacy of the pandemic years one of compassion, love and active support for those who grieve, both now, and in the years to come.

Did you know that you can create a digital memorial for someone who has passed away using Memory Cloud, an online space to reflect on a loved one's life and share special memories with friends & family.

https://memorycloud.org.uk

Our Spring Concert will be taking place next Tuesday 29^th March in the Main Hall at 7pm. All family and friends are warmly invited to attend, and we very much hope you will be able to join us for this occasion. 

Tickets for this event cost £3 and will be sold on the door.

Proceeds will go towards furthering the work of the Music Department, with a particular aim of purchasing percussion instruments. 

Interval refreshments will also be provided by students fundraising for the world challenge.

We very much look forward to welcoming you next week. 

Mrs M Ngobi - Head of Music

We have just popped up a display in our reception foyer celebrating scientists, science facts and figures and also some graphic posters about different 'Ology's'.

The Year 11 Food students worked extremely hard to produce some very inspiring products for their GCSE practical exam. I was immensely proud of what they achieved, and they all completed very skilful dishes which were presented to a very high standard, despite having many Covid interruptions throughout their two-year course they have all progressed extremely well.

Students were able to choose from two design brief’s set by the Exam board. The most popular brief was to produce Italian dishes. Many students made and flavoured their own pasta, bread, ice cream etc with every component was made from scratch. The results were delicious!

The second design brief was to produce healthy dishes for primary school children. The emphasis on this brief was to reduce the amount of sugar, salt and fat in foods and encourage children to eat a wider variety of fruits and vegetables. Again, a wide array of colourful and appetising dishes were created.

Congratulations Year 11 Food students for being so impressive in your practical exams.

Mrs Beales 

Quick Links:

National Careers Week 2022 - Official website

A film about Hope - National Careers Week

National Careers Week—Booklets & Guides on a range of career options

High Performance Podcast - set of free resources

THE HIGH PERFORMANCE PODCAST OFFERS AN INTIMATE GLIMPSE INTO THE LIVES OF HIGH-ACHIEVING, SUCCESSFUL INDIVIDUALS.

It doesn’t matter where our guest has excelled - in sport, music, business, arts or entertainment – they all have first-hand experiences and lessons to share. On The High Performance Podcast we find out what non-negotiable behaviours they employed to get them to the top and keep them there.

The High Performance Podcast - all episodes free online

Today (and everyday) we celebrate all of the wonderful and amazing women within our community here at Wallington High School for Girls.

Take a look at the displays we popped up in our reception foyer to celebrate International Women's Day 2022. There are lots of posters, artworks, quotes and even themed activity cards for students and staff to take.

The International Day of Women and Girls in Science was established on the 22nd December 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly in order to “achieve full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls, and further achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls”.

Celebrated every year since then on February 11th, this day should remind us that, while women have continued to participate significantly at all levels of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), they’re still not represented and recognised as much as they should be. 

International Day of Women and Girls in Science - 11th February

22 pioneering women in science history you should know about

Science Museum - Women in Science

Women who dared to discover

Nasa astronauts complete first ever all-female spacewalk

Women in Stem - Posters

Historical Women in Science - Posters

LGBT+ History Month is for everyone

https://lgbtplushistorymonth.co.uk/