Brampton Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire AL1 4PR |
Newsletter
Spring 2026
March 26
Message from the Headteacher
Another busy term concluded at Verulam! I would firstly like to thank our Drama, Art and Music departments for putting on a fantastic show 'Oh What a lovely war!'. The dedication and time committed by staff and students alike was highly impressive and helps to ensure that creativity and performance are at the heart of what we do as a school. Thanks in particular to head of Drama, Mr Moseley, head of music, Ms Way, and Director of Creative Arts, Ms Tomlin, for their leadership and contribution.
We have also had a busy term with things both academic and wider personal development. On the academic front, I wish year 11 and 13 luck with their preparations for public exams that start on the 4th May. We have offered some new additions in year 11 this year, including facilitated revision sessions in Core subjects with HFL Education and a visit from educational psychologist, Dr van der Spoel. We hope these have been useful.
Our new Senior Team in the sixth form have assumed their duties after the presentation of the gowns ceremony and the sixth form are showing admirable leadership, from peer mental health support to a vibrant Eco council. Curriculum Enrichment Day offered a variety of experiences for our students, including the vital topic of careers in year 9, to support choosing GCSE options. We also had very timely assemblies from Alison Cope on knife crime/social media and from our two Deputy Headteachers, Ms Perry and Ms Thackray, on the lived experiences of women and girls and boys' role in fostering positive masculinity and behaving with respect.
We have had success in sport too, with year 8 and the senior team reaching the District Cup football finals and the under 18s being the Plate champions for Hertfordshire in Rugby 7s.
A heartfelt thank you to all of the volunteers for the Parent Teacher Association and all those that volunteer at the events and raise vital funds for the school. The recent sold out Quiz Night raised over £2.5k and we look forward to welcoming you to Verulam's first Comedy night with TV star Paul Sinha on 19th June.
Finally, we say goodbye to Ms Asim from our pastoral team who is moving on to a new role at Oaklands College and to our receptionist Ms Southward who is retiring after 18 years at Verulam. Ms Southward is a Verulam legend and has made an immense contribution to school life during her long service. We will miss you, thank you, and wishing you well in your retirement!
Fergal Moane
Headteacher
AET Information
Updates
Prefect Photos
Year 11, Year 13 and Year 13 Prefect photos were taken last week by our photographers Tempest. Details on how to order the photos will be communicated soon. Watch this space!
Events
Women's History Month, World Book Day Events and Easter Celebrations
This March has been full of exciting events and activities. A major highlight was Women’s History Month, centered around the inspiring theme: “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future.”
To mark the occasion, students took part in three key challenges: a Women’s History Month reading challenge, a poster competition based on this year’s theme, and a speech-writing task inspired by the suffragettes. Well done to all those who participated in one or all of these challenges!
World Book Day Events
World Book Day brought an entire week of reading celebrations. Activities included Starbooks tasting, a National Book Token design competition, The Masked Reader, a World Book Day Bake Off, bookmark competitions, book swaps, and a Reading Bingo.
A special highlight of the week was a live virtual interview with acclaimed American poet and author Kwame Alexander, streamed directly into our library on World Book Day. He spoke with humour and passion about his writing journey and out of 378 schools tuning in, gave a shout out to Verulam School, answering a question from one of our students!
Well done to Harry S. year 7, Kevin U. year 8, and Ernest J. year 10 for their incredible book-inspired bakes for the World Book Day Bake Off competition. A special congratulations to Ernest, who won the competition with the most votes for his delicious Queen’s Gambit themed cake, complete with a brilliantly designed chequerboard interior.
Easter Celebrations
The final two weeks of March were filled with Easter activities, including a scavenger hunt, an ‘unscrambled eggs’ activity, Easter egg designing, Easter wordsearches and an Easter Island fact file worksheet. Each completed activity was rewarded with a sweet Easter treat! Well done to all the enthusiastic “egg detectives” who took part and made these celebrations such a success.
Reading Challenges Leaderboard
Churchill stays strong in first place with York close behind in second. Brampton just takes third place over Hamilton!
Coming up next month
April will have an eco-friendly focus as we celebrate Earth Day on 22nd. Throughout the month, students will have the opportunity to deepen their understanding of environmental challenges and explore ways to make a positive impact.
A range of engaging activities and challenges will be available, including Read Your Way Through a Changing Planet, a ‘Trash to Treasure’ project, and an interactive ‘Escape the Climate Crisis’ virtual escape room. All designed to inspire curiosity, creativity, and awareness around protecting our planet.
Miss G Pettitt
Python and Robotics Tuesdays Beaumont School
Follow this link to sign up
Year 7 Launch Pad Enterprise Day
We are very much looking forward to our current Year 7 students being able to participate in the Launch Pad Enterprise Day that is being held at Verulam on Wednesday 1st July. Launch Pad is an engaging enterprise challenge that helps students build a clearer understanding of the world of work as well as promoting enterprising attitudes and skills.
Working to launch a fledgling business, students will create their own brand identity and marketing strategy to make their company succeed, while balancing a budget. Led by the staff from the Young Enterprise and supported by a team of Verulam teachers, students will be encouraged to discover more about themselves and develop a range of key skills which are valued in the workplace. Throughout the day students will learn about the importance of teamwork as well as the different roles that contribute towards running a successful business.
Our aim is to get all Year 7 students to participate in the Launch Pad event as we believe that it will be of huge benefit to all students but we appreciate that there is a £15 fee involved in order to cover the Young Enterprise’s costs of running the event. If your son is in receipt of the pupil premium then the fee will be paid for by the school. A letter was sent out regarding this Enterprise Day earlier this month and this is a reminder that if you would like your son to take part in this event then please make the payment via My Child at School using the line ‘Launch Pad’ by the deadline of Friday 17th April.
Mr T Engal
launch pad flyer mr t engel.pdf
Oh! What a Lovely War
I’m writing this as the last show of Oh! What a lovely War closes.
First staged in the 1960s, the show remains one of the most striking theatrical responses to the First World War. Blending popular songs of the era with sharp commentary and striking visual storytelling, it invites us to look beyond the pageantry and patriotism and examine the human cost of conflict.
This is an ambitious show. The students are all playing multiple parts; they represent different countries of Europe, different groups or factions typical from a War situation; they need to speak in different languages and of course change costume, learn the dances and sing the words!
Musically, the team are led by Miss Way (Drum Major) with Mr Simons (Drum Bugler in training) providing extra musical accompaniments. Miss Hannat (Colour Sergeant) worked her magic with the costumes and produced another amazing job including a dead leg, a plaster-cast and six Pierrots costumes with each pom pom hand made. Mrs Thackray (Chief Warrant Officer) choreographed the dances – very in vogue with the early 1900’s.
The cast consisted of students from key stage three – across years 7-9, some ‘oldies’ showing the ‘newbies’ the ropes. Audience members were keen to tell me which aspects they were most impressed with: the marching, the accents from different countries, the jokes as well as the acting of being shot and how the boys made World War One come alive.
The whole focus was on the boys at all times and as such they had a lot of lines to remember and act through. The set was minimal, further reinforcing the relationship of the cast and therefore highlighting the fantastic acting from each member.
Backstage, Sunny Kotecha (Lieutenant Lighting) returned for his second event on lights – another successful execution bringing the show alive, supported by Oliver Cheadle and Brian Ancuta on sound and display. I have received plenty of praise for the rifles – our thanks to Mr Phillips for his time and effort – someone has even bagged one for their classroom! Our Warrant Officers - Leo Jess, Mozes Szilagyi and Theo Allder managed the backstage capably.
It was truly a wonderful evening. Congratulations and thanks to Mr Moseley for all his hard work and long nights, ensuring another successful show.
Mrs Tomlin
House Photography Competition
This year the Creative Arts Faculty oversaw Verulam’s first House Photography Competition on the theme of ‘Evidence’. The competition was opened with an assembly in November showing the students examples of ‘Evidence’. Evidence of favourite foods, pets or views. Personal Evidence for example had they had travelled somewhere? Perhaps they chose to shoot at the golden hours for a more atmospheric image. Did they want a theme: colour or subject matter? It really was up to them.
Over a period of 3 months, students were able to submit up to three photographs – they could be in black and white, colour or both! They were allowed to manipulate their photos or they could hand in a pure copy.
Students were also responsible for voting for their favourite. Once the top ten in each category: Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5, had been selected, voting opened in the library for a week. The best ten photographs were on display and students could peruse the images and select their top three in each category.
It was not a cut and dry competition by any means. There were so many excellent images that the top 2 in each category gained the same number of votes. The second place option came in to play and these votes were added to the totals. The standard was very high and although the voting was by number (anonymous) – students and staff made many thoughtful comments to Miss Pettitt about the standard and variety of images entered.
Running alongside the student’s competition, there was a ‘just for fun’ staff competition. Staff from across the school entered and once again the photographs demonstrated high technical competence, including perfect exposure and composition.
I would personally like to commend every student and staff member who entered the competition - the quality of photographs, range of subject matter and framing as well as atmosphere was excellent. Bring on 2027!
Key Stage 3 winner: Cute Kid by Cairo Maxwell for Churchill
Key Stage 4 winner: London in Bubbles by Jack Hart for Jennings
Key Stage 5 winner: Firey Sunset by Rebecca Bint for Brampton
Staff winner: Braham Cow in the Outback by Miss Perry
Mrs C Tomlin
Churchill Claims Victory in the 2025/26 Hawkes House Cup!
The 2025/26 House year has officially drawn to a close. After a wide range of fierce competitions across every corner of the school and an incredible number of house points awarded, we finally have our champion.
This year’s Hawkes House Cup is awarded to Churchill, who displayed fantastic effort and consistency throughout the year. While York dominated the individual house competitions, Churchill’s steady accumulation of points secured them the top spot on the podium.
The Final Leaderboard:
- Churchill – 31,508
- Brampton – 27,212
- Park – 24,550
- Hamilton – 24,432
- York – 24,407
- Jennings – 21,593
House Competition Results:
(Based on Subject & Sport Competitions)
1st: York | 2nd: Brampton | 3rd: Jennings | 4th: Churchill | 5th: Park | 6th: Hamilton
A huge congratulations to every student who stepped up to represent their House this year. Whether you were competing on the field, in the classroom, or earning points through merits, you made this year a resounding success.
Get Ready for the New Season!
The leaderboard resets soon, and we want to see even more of you involved.
House competitions start again in April, giving every House a fresh chance to climb to the top of the table. Looking further ahead, we are thrilled to announce that the Verulympics will be held again in June!
Mr G Waters
Curriculum News
A busy month for Food!
We have had a busy few weeks in the Food department. The Year 11s have been planning and plating up their final 3 dishes for their exam, and whilst we can't share coursework photos with you, we can say that they looked amazing! We have had a record 53 students completing GCSE Food this year and its been a pleasure to see so many students interested in the subject. Thank you to those parents who have been so supportive of their sons during this busy time.
The Year 10s took part in an excellent plating up challenge this month. They were all given a Tunnock's Teacake with a brief to decorate it in the most 'cheffy' way! The students love competing with each other, some learning that less is more! Take a look at the photos to see how they got on.
Mrs L Tansley
Dr Martijn Van Der Spoel visit
Educational psychologist, Dr Martijn Van Der Spoel from Glia Learning, visited our year 11's for curriculum enrichment day. Throughout the day he presented amazing tips for revision and mental preparation for the exam, underpinned with the scientific research. He led small group work with innovative exercises to demonstrate how to prepare for the upcoming exams. He also presented to parents in the evening. The feedback from parents and students was superb. A standing ovation from year 11s is a rare sight but he got it!
Mr A Halsall
Sixth Form
Personal Development:
Introducing Head Boy, Arthur B.
While not quite as steeped in history as the role of School Captain, the Head Boy of Verulam school is a role within which I carry much pride, with nearly a century’s worth of predecessors looking over my shoulder, and, within this honour, I hope to make a real difference to the lives of Verulam students.
When I decided to apply for the role, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, besides the fancy title. However, through a lengthy application process, including presenting speeches to halls full of students in Years 8, 10, 11, and Sixth Form, which I’m sure inspired them all greatly, I can now say I feel truly ready to take on the responsibility.
My subject preferences are almost exactly opposite to that of Aidan, our School Captain, as I find the most enjoyment from STEM subjects, with my heart lying with maths, reflected in my A-Level choices of Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Economics, and I have loved engaging with these in the year so far.
Outside of school, I’m a very active person, with multiple sports taking up a significant chunk of my free time. I love football, I’ve played it every week for almost a decade, and I was unfortunate enough to be born into supporting Luton Town. I also attend a local Judo club, sharing that space with a surprising number of Verulam students.
I’m very friendly, so if you see me around the school and have any questions or just want to say hi, please don’t hesitate. I look forward to working to help make the Verulam experience as good as it can be over the next year, be that by working with the teachers to form events, or by listening to your advice and ideas, and leaving a legacy within the school, much the same way it has within me.
Verulam Supports St Albans NACCC: Keeping Families Connected
As part of Verulam School’s ongoing commitment to our local community, we are proud to announce our upcoming support for the National Association of Child Contact Centres (NACCC), with a specific focus on our local St Albans branch.
We have chosen this charity, due to its vital role in ensuring that children can maintain safe, meaningful relationships with parents or family members they no longer live with. In the wake of family breakdowns, the NACCC provides a neutral, welcoming and most importantly safe environment where the child’s needs come first which is a value that resonates deeply with our school’s own emphasis on character and respect (our school values). By supporting the St Albans NACCC, we are helping to fund the local volunteers and facilities that prevent children in our own neighbourhood from losing contact with the people who matter most to them.
Our Verulam community will aim to raise not only money through fundraising and charity events, but expansive awareness on how we can change lives of those around us, because if we can collectively be anything, we will be kind.
Written by Evie Frewin, Senior Prefect and Charity Champion
Introducing our new Sixth Form Senior Prefect ECO Council Leaders:
Verulam has always had a strong commitment to encouraging environmental awareness and among its students, embodied by our school’s ECO Council, a body of students across all years who strive to improve our in-school environment as well as promote eco-friendly practices to students and teachers alike.
Being given such an opportunity to step into leadership roles in this council is a privilege, especially having grown alongside the school’s eco efforts for the past 5 years, and so we’re hoping to build upon these in our year as Verulam’s Eco Leads.
We have all had a consistent passion for sustainability and the natural world, and so this division of the Senior Prefect seemed a challenging but engaging opportunity to take on. We’re proud to inherit these roles from the fantastic work achieved last year by Basil and Harry, who have worked with the site team and KS3-4 on projects such as rehabilitating the nature area behind science, particularly digging and lining a new pond, soon to be fitted with a camera to view possible wildlife, a project we hope to continue and see benefit learning schoolwide through wildlife surveys, as well as improving biodiversity.
The team is currently researching suitable flora for the pond which we hope to install soon, alongside the previous team’s planting of hedgerows along our games field, which hopefully will be finished next term.
The long-term effects of these ventures are immeasurable to the school’s local environment and we can only try to make as big of an impact as last year's team in our own endeavours.
So, what are we planning?
As a four, we’ve agreed to focus our efforts more in spreading awareness to our community, especially in regard to the growing overuse of AI in education, which may seem harmless, but rather causes excessive water and energy consumption. The GDSA predicts that AI water usage could rise to double that of the UK’s total water usage annually by 2027, a gargantuan 6.6 billion cubic metres.
Whilst AI is undoubtedly a useful tool for education and problem solving, its environmental impact must also be considered and regulated, and so we aim to start our work in the eco team with assemblies educating students on the issues posed by AI and how to sustainably utilise it. From there, we have our eyes set on rejuvenating the grassy areas surrounding the Bradshaw block, bringing last year’s ideas to fruition in the form of a greenhouse, which we would love to work on for the benefit of the school.
Another project for us will be to document all the work that has taken place and will continue to take place so that we can gain a Green Flag award under Eco School’s recognition.
We can’t wait to begin planning this year’s projects and involving not only the ECO council, but the whole school, in assemblies and activities. Our main goal is to promote eco-friendly ideas for an unpredictable present and future, so that our students can be considerate and aware of the world around them.
Written by Evan T., Senior Prefect and Eco Lead
Sustainability Pre-Conference workshop
During a lunchtime recently a range of our Sixth Form Year 12 and Year 13 students attended an informative and engaging workshop about sustainability ahead of the Sustainability Conference they will attend shortly. The workshop was led by Vicki McLaughlin of LEAF and I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for facilitating this.
LEAF education specialise in a bespoke approach to deliver experiential learning opportunities that have a deep and meaningful impact, raise young people’s aspirations, and ensure we are all better informed as a society about how our personal food choices can make a difference to sustainability and climate change. Our Sixth Form students were keen to learn and fully engaged; they are the future which is why events like this are so important.
LEAF Education provides society, especially young people, with the opportunity to visit a farm and see how their food is produced, whilst supporting educators and farmers in delivering high quality, memorable learning experiences that provide a balanced and informed insight into food production, farming, and the environment. Their role is to ensure that we have a future generation who are better informed than ever before, as future conscious consumers, decision makers, leaders, employees, and employers. Verulam looks forward to working more with LEAF and arrange further events in the next academic year.
HPQ (Higher Project Qualification) Year 10
At the end of the last academic year, I introduced to then Year 9 students the idea of taking an additional qualification voluntarily after school two nights a week. This initial uptake was enthusiastic and although some felt the course was too much for them with the start of GCSEs and the academic nature of HPQ, I am delighted to say that 17 Year 10 students made it through the course to the presentation stage.
To get to this point, students have come up with their own inquiry question or hypothesis to test. Some of this year’s inquiries were:
Is war ethical?
Is animal testing still scientifically justifiable to develop lifesaving medicine?
How do Earth’s unique geological features make it different in comparison to the other terrestrial planets?
Are technological or ethical factors more important in the development of Artificial Superintelligence (ASI)?
To what extent can the Eurovision Song Contest mirror the changes within European geo-political society of the time?
Can the climate change crisis affecting the Maldives be Resolved?
Our students have researched between 30 – 40 different academic studies relevant to their topic and evaluated their research. They have also engaged with data and diagrams to enhance their understanding of their topic. To achieve this, they have learnt how to make a Gantt chart to plan and track progress and ensure all deadlines were met.
The students then had to organise all of their ideas in response to their question/hypothesis to form an academic report using Harvard referencing to argue their point. Having done this, they then presented their project to an audience of parents, teachers and their fellow students – a daunting task in itself! They all performed brilliantly making the presentation evening really interesting, informative and impressive.
The skills they have learnt on this course since September – independent study, planning, organisation - will stand them in good stead for Year 11. I look forward to seeing them all back in Year 12 to continue their project qualification with EPQ (Extended Project Qualification).
Verulam Essay Competition
To celebrate the combination of World Book Day, Pi Day and British Science week, we have launched the Verulam Essay Competition for students in Years 7-9. Further details are available on Google Classroom. Students can also talk to Mrs Avery if they would like to discuss their ideas before writing their essay. This competition is voluntary and I look forward to reading students’ well thought out and original ideas expressed with conviction! Entries should be submitted via Google Classroom.
Mrs Avery
Trips, Visits and Workshops
Bernards Heath Artweek
Art Week @ Bernards Heath Primary School 2026
The year 10 art group were lucky enough to be invited to Bernards Heath Junior School to meet the year 3, 4 and 5 pupils and help out in their art week. All Verulam students were asked to bring some work and give a little talk to the primary pupils about how they made their work, the different materials they used and how they are inspired by other artists. Afterwards the students had the opportunity for a question and answer session – we were all really impressed by the mature questions asked. It was wonderful to see the year 3 and 4 pupils telling our students how and why they were impressed with our students artwork. Verulam students then got stuck in helping the pupils complete their tasks – the theme this year was on Religions and each day the students moved around different workshops: Hamsa Hand Tealight Holders made from clay, metal embossing: using tools to create personal designs of mehndi on thin metal aluminum sheets and stained glass window sections using acetate and marker pens. It was a fantastically artistic afternoon! A big thank you to Bernards Heath for having us.
Mrs C Tomlin
Year 12 Curriculum Enrichment Day
On Thursday 5th March, our year 12 cohort took on the Circle Line challenge. In groups of between 4 and 8 students, each team had to decipher 10 clues to objects in 10 different locations close to the Circle Line in London. Using their teamwork, planning and navigation skills, they had to find the locations and objects, take a selfie in front of them, and get back to St Pancras station in less than 5 hours. Fortunately for the students (and the staff based near each location) the weather was fine and quite warm.
As well as developing key skills for the workplace, the challenge took them to sites many of them hadn’t seen before, such as the ruins of the Roman amphitheatre and the statue of Paddington Bear. It always feels harder to be a tourist in your own region, so while most of our year 12 students had been to London before, many had not explored the streets.
All the teams found at least some of the locations, and one team found all of them, uploaded the photos to a Google Classroom, and made it back to St Pancras in time. Their prize was a well-earned box of chocolates. After being dismissed from St Pancras station, many of our students stayed in London to explore further or visit one of the parks.
Mr D Bint
Enrichment
Alison Cope - Anti Violence Campaigner Visit to Verulam
On Monday 9th March Verulam was very lucky to have a guest speaker. Alison Cope, an anti violence campaigner, came to Verulam to speak to the boys in year 8 to 11. Alison for many years now has campaigned tirelessly in schools to try and warn young people of the dangers of knife crime and social media. She does this to spread awareness of the dangers of knife crime to try and prevent what happened to her son Joshua Ribera, who died at the age of 18 after being stabbed.
Alison spoke very well even though she was talking about some hard hitting subjects. It enlightened us on the realities and consequences of knife crime in young people and how some people carry knives out of fear because they think other people are carrying them. She also covered other subjects that could be more relatable to the teenagers at Verulam; she spoke about the impact of social media and how it was having an effect on the younger generation and how it has resulted in the increase of knife crime.
She also covered the subject of joint enterprise, which is when someone can be convicted for the same crime as the perpetrator if they helped out or encouraged the event, even if they didn’t commit the crime themselves.
However a more touching subject was talked about by Alison which was how important it is to love your family and loved ones. As a teenager it might be stereotypical not to show love to your family but Alison really encouraged us to do so since you never know what might happen and to leave a good mark on the world. Alison also said that she “was the luckiest person in the world” this was because the last thing her son Joshua said to her was “I love you mum”. This reminded us how important showing love to your family is.
We were not only lucky but thankful that Alison Cope came to talk to us about knife crime and the realities it has. We also thank her for sharing her story of her son and the struggles and trauma she has had to deal with over the past decade.
By Noah Jones 9J
https://www.alisoncope.com/
Careers Newsletter – Spring Term Update
Since January, students across all year groups have taken part in a wide range of careers-focused activities designed to raise aspirations, develop employability skills, and support informed decision-making about their futures.
Year 11 students have received targeted support with their next steps, including workshops on CV writing and interview skills to help them prepare for applications and transitions beyond school. They also attended an assembly delivered by University of Hertfordshire, which focused on making informed Level 3 choices and understanding progression routes into higher education and employment.
Year 10 students have begun the new Work Experience (WEX) process, using Unifrog to research placements, explore career pathways, and complete their applications. They have also benefited from career insight talks delivered by Working Options in Education, helping them understand different industries and the skills employers value.
Year 9 students attended an assembly focused on university life, introducing them to the opportunities that higher education can offer and encouraging them to start thinking about long-term goals. Students in Year 9 have also taken part in the Work Skills Day (March). This is an annual event that explores different workplace and career skills including problem solving, teamwork and communication. Throughout the day, the boys visited workshops hosted by external visitors from St Johns Ambulance and West Herts Police, Morgan Sindall, the University of Hertfordshire and AFH Wealth Management. There was also a workshop dedicated to developing some important STEM skills and here the boys spent an hour learning how to build and perfect the most impressive paper airplanes!
In Years 7 and 8, early careers education has taken place through PSHE lessons, where students explored job sectors, employability skills, and how their learning connects to the wider world of work. There have also been external visitors coming into school to deliver career based presentations exploring career pathways and job sectors.
All year groups participated in classroom-based activities during National Apprenticeship Week and National Careers Week, linking curriculum learning to real-world pathways. A particular highlight of National Careers Week was the staff interview assemblies. Students heard directly from teachers and support staff about their individual career journeys, discovering the varied routes that led them into education and recognising that there is no single path to success.
These experiences continue to build a progressive careers programme that equips students with the knowledge, confidence, and skills needed to plan for their future.
Mr M Lewis
Exciting Book Mail from Bestselling Author!
A "Skandar" Sized Surprise!
Year 7’s Alex recently delivered a brilliant speech on his hero, bestselling author A.F. Steadman. In a remarkable twist of fate, his teacher, Mrs. Long, actually attended Cambridge University with the author!
After hearing about the speech from Mrs Long, A.F. Steadman was so touched she sent Alex a personalised signed copy of her latest book and special gifts.
"We love anything that encourages a love of literature and it was very exciting to see Alex’s hard work rewarded by his hero."
Mrs N Long
Sports
Sporting Update
What a fantastic period of participation for our teams across February and March.
The football season drew to a close with both the Year 8 and senior teams reaching the District Cup Finals. The year 8s performed extremely well against Sandringham, playing the better football for large periods, but were ultimately unlucky to lose to two counter-attacking goals against the run of play. We look forward to the senior team’s fixture at Clarence Park after Easter and hope they can secure a well-deserved victory.
There have been excellent performances across a wide range of sports during this busy period.
Hertfordshire Schools Spring Championships 🏅
We are proud to celebrate a fantastic performance from our fencers at this year’s championships. The event once again highlighted the strength and continued growth of school fencing across Hertfordshire. A special congratulations to our Year 9 boys — Lucas T, Venci S, and Felix H — who achieved an outstanding silver medal 🥈 result.
Our 18 Rugby players were winners of the Hertfordshire County Rugby 7s Under 18 Plate. The team delivered a superb performance at Woollams to secure the title, while the Under 16s also performed admirably in their competition.
The senior girls’ netball team delivered some excellent performances, particularly against Dame Alice Owen’s School, showing impressive determination throughout. Their strong teamwork, clear communication, and support for one another enabled them to play with confidence and control from start to finish. Well done to all involved.
Our boys also competed at the indoor athletics championships, achieving a number of impressive podium finishes.
We now look ahead with excitement to the summer term, which promises a packed fixture list including cricket and athletics in the opening weeks, as well as tennis tournaments, Verulympics, and the Year 8 football tour to Barcelona.
Sporting success:
Two teams represented Verulam School at the Paul Davis Hertfordshire School Fencing Championships which took place on Sunday 15th March.
Team One, Verulam Gold consisting of R. Curtis 7Y and D. Dredge 9J were placed 5th and,
Team Two, Verulam Blue consisting of L. Tung 9P, V. Sarunic 9B and F. Hepworth 9Y were placed 2nd (please see attached photo of Team Two, Verulam Blue)
Huge congratulations for taking part and representing Verulam School at the Fencing Championships. Well done all!
Verulam Cricket Club
February 26
Message from the Headteacher
Dear Parents/Carers,
February was another busy month in the life of the school. Two fantastic trips went out around half term, with the sixth form social science students visiting New York and the ski trip going to Jasper in Canada. Both sets of students conducted themselves in exemplary manner and got a lot from the trips, with both venues seeing unprecedented cold temperatures (felt like -34 degrees in Canada!) We also marked the ceremonial handover of gowns between the two senior prefect teams. Thank you to the outgoing year 13s, who now focus upon their studies in the lead up to their exams. Welcome and good luck to the new senior prefects. Our senior students also led assemblies linked to children's mental health week. A number of sixth formers have been trained by the NHS as peer mental health coaches and are available to support younger students who need help. We also were delighted to recognise our behaviour ambassadors in year 7, helping to ensure that behaviour in line with our values of excellence, character and respect are the norm in their year group.
The government have published their white paper on the future of schools and this will lead to some changes in how Verulam and other state schools operate in the coming years. We hope that the positive language around inclusion and better supporting children with SEND is backed up with funding and time for staff on the front line. We will update you as more details emerge and how Verulam will respond. Speaking of funding, please support our wonderful PTA who do a great job in fundraising. The next event is the Quiz Night with our legendary quizmaster, Mr Bint, on Friday 20th March at 19:00. Tickets can be found in this link.
Finally, thanks to those who supported our goal to have padel courts built by a Spanish company who were providing the investment needed for this project. Although the benefit to Verulam students was clear, significant objections from local residents around noise and disruption reduced the chances of a successful planning application. We are now turning our attention to developing plans for a 3G artificial grass pitch at Sandpit Lane as the priority for facilities development at Verulam.
Regards
Fergal Moane
Headteacher
Events
The Year of Reading.
February was a vibrant and inspiring month in the library as we celebrated LGBT+ History Month, exploring this year’s theme, “Science and Innovation.” Alongside our dedicated LGBT+ reading challenge, students also took part in a special bonus competition, “Hidden Heroes & Untold Stories,” with exciting rewards up for grabs. A huge well done to everyone who participated!
We kicked off the month with National Storytelling Week, launching our creative “One Object, Many Stories” challenge. Students were invited to create their own story inspired by a chosen object. The stories were fantastic, showing outstanding imagination and creativity!
Valentine’s Day brought a return of our popular “Blind Date with a Book.” Students selected books based on just three intriguing words (no judging by the cover!). The event was a success, and participants earned a special Valentine’s reward for taking part.
We also celebrated Chinese New Year with a themed reading challenge to mark the Year of the Horse, showcasing and promoting books of Chinese origin.
Reading Challenges Leaderboard
Churchill continues to lead with York charging into second place. Brampton and Hamilton are tied for third place!
Coming Up Next Month
March is a month full of more exciting events. We’ll be celebrating World Book Day on Thursday 5th March, with a full week of activities running from 2nd–6th March, alongside Careers Week (2nd–7th March).
Throughout the week, students can take part in: Starbooks tasting, National Book Token design competition, The Masked Reader, World Book Day Bake Off, bookmark competitions, book swaps and Reading Bingo. On Thursday 5th March we also have an author event in the library at 1:30pm featuring a live interview and Q&A with American poet Kwame Alexander.
March also marks Women’s History Month, and we will be spotlighting this year’s theme- “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future.” A range of activities and challenges will encourage students to explore and celebrate the achievements of women past and present.
Miss G Pettitt
Oh, What a Lovely War - Coming soon
Ticket sales have opened for Oh, What a Lovely War. £4 for students and £8 for adults. Please see 'My Child at School' for purchases. The production is running for two nights in March: Tuesday 24th and Wednesday 25th. Doors will be opening at 6.30pm for a 7pm start. There will be one interval - BYO refreshments. We look forward to welcoming you.
Mrs C Tomlin
Curriculum News
Literacy - Fluency Project
A select group of Year 7 and 8 students completed their 10-week Fluency Project this week, and were presented with certificates and a badge (and a celebratory donut!) on Thursday morning to celebrate their hard work, enthusiasm and dedication to the project. We are extremely proud of their achievements, and a huge thank you to Ms Barnett for running the sessions each week.
Miss J Willetts
Sixth Form
Personal Development
Personal Development – Mrs Avery
The key event this month has been the ‘Changing of the Guard’ in Sixth Form. This month has seen the official inauguration of our new Senior Prefect Team selected from Year 12. Included in this article, are a number of photos of the assembly held to transfer teams. I would like to take our outgoing School Captain, Tom Roffe and his Senior Prefect team for their commitment and dedication to the school. Under Tom’s leadership, the team delivered a number of successful events throughout the year, most notably perhaps, was a successful Culture Day with events ranging from a pop up Jazz café, interesting workshops looking at the history of Caribbean culture in St Albans and the surrounding areas and world cup themed football at lunchtime. In addition to being a culturally rich day, it was also very enjoyable. Our outgoing School Captain, Head boy, Head girl and Vice-Captain met with the new in post Year 12 Prefects recently to hand over their roles and give some supportive advice to the new team.
To prepare for their new responsibilities, the new Senior Prefect team attended a Sixth Form Leadership Conference alongside Sixth Form students from a range of other Secondary Schools in the area. Feedback from the day was that it was interesting, engaging and thought-provoking prompting them to consider the type of leader they want to be. At the end of the day, the organisers mentioned that there was food left over from lunch which students were welcome to help themselves to. Needless to say, in undeniably Verulam fashion, our students took them up on this offer…
Following up on the conference, starting in March, our Prefect team will embark on an 8-week leadership course to hone their skills and gain new insights to leadership and project delivery.
The Prefect book
We recently re-discovered the beautiful, quarter bound, hardback book which records the names and roles of all of the Sixth Form Prefects going back to 1968! We are in the process of bringing the book back up to date as, unfortunately the last entry is 2011. We are confident that we can fill in the gaps and look forward to the current team being the first to sign the book in some years!
Introducing our new School Captain:
Aidan C., School Captain, 2026-2027
The tradition of having a School Captain is one Verulam has had since its very beginning, its first being D.V. Cooper from 1938 –1942. Then the school would’ve had fewer than 100 boys as St Albans faced the outbreak of World War II. During the start of the Blitz the first lives lost to bombing here were two goats on a farm in London Colney, who happened to be named Hitler and Mussolini. Thankfully, nowadays the threat of a bomb falling through the roof into Room 30 is rather low.
I'm incredibly proud to carry this honour into its 88th
year as your new School Captain leading the incoming Senior Prefect team. We give our huge thanks to outgoing School Captain Tom R and his Team for their remarkable work over the past year.
When applying back in November, I didn't really know what I was expecting to achieve. The process to get here for all of us in the new Senior Prefect team has been rather fun. If you're the parent of a year 8, 11, 12 or 13 student, ask them about the guy who talked about Martin Luther King back in early January, (hopefully they’ll remember me!)
If it's not clear from how I started this piece - I love History, much to my Geography teacher's dismay. It's one of the three A-levels I study, alongside Economics and Geography, they're all incredibly enjoyable.
In one word, I’d say I'm ‘outdoorsy’, whether that's hiking, biking or heading up mountains. I've also been a member of the Scouting family for over a decade, and have also been volunteering as a young leader at my local Cub Scout unit for the past two and a half years - an experience I started for my Duke of Edinburgh Award but continued afterwards because I had enjoyed it so much.
I'm sure you'll see me at various events around Verulam helping out as part of the new Senior Prefect team. I look forward to playing my part in delivering a year for Verulam to remember, by giving back to the school that has given me so much.
Aidan C,
Verulam School Captain.
Trips, Visits and Workshops
Iceland 26
In Jan 26, 55 students and staff embarked on an adventure of a lifetime by visiting Iceland as part of their geography enrichment. During the time we swam, we walked, we learnt and importantly experienced life in a very different environment to our own.
On day 1 we visited the world famous Blue Lagoon which was still open – with all the tectonic activity, which we saw first hand, it is often closed. The Lagoon is a unique lake with pleasantly warm mineral-rich geothermal water in the middle of a black lava field. Natural silica salts and minerals give the Lagoon its rich blue colour. Enjoy a sauna, steam baths and a massage waterfall. Some of us even had a mud pack.
After this, we had dinner at the famous Hamborgarafabbrikan – famous for its population board that changes with every birth and death in the country.
Following this we undertook the famous Golden Circle Tour, went northern light spotting, visited various waterfalls and the black sands of the south shore before finishing with a walk on one of the many glaciers. The later was particularly interesting to those of us who had been before and could see the impact of global warming – the glacier visited had retreated over 100m since our last visit.
An amazing few days were completed with a walk round the capital of Reykjavik
Thank you to the boys and staff who made this such a memorable few days.
Skiing 26
On Feb 13th of all days 34 staff and students headed off to the Canadian resort of Jasper for a week of skiing. The flight took of on time at 1 and lasted 7 hours - but by the nature of the world, we landed at just 3pm! From here a magical 4 hour drive took us the resort (via McDonalds of course...) from here on the week did not disappoint and we had conditions during the day followed by some great fun in the evenings.
Slopes provided some of the best skiing possible and the pink helmet covers showed others how groups should ski. As a result of the great conditions and some of the best instructors for years, students progressed so well during the week. Something all instructors commented on at the end of the week.
In addition, we all experienced some of the coldest conditions possible when we reached around -20C! With the sun, this made for amazing looking conditions but slightly chilly to ski in! On a plus, the hot chocolate was pretty good at break time.
Along with the skiing, we also had a night of swimming, snow shoeing, film and a charity ice hockey match. This was rounded of by a visit to one of the largest shopping malls ive seen!
Well done to all boys - you were a credit to yourselves and your parents. Thank you.
Mr M Toley
Year 13 Social Science Students Explore New York City
During February half term, our Year 13 Social Science students embarked on an unforgettable four-day field trip to New York City, led by Mr Base and accompanied by Mrs Braban and Miss Chirchi. The visit combined academic enrichment with cultural exploration, bringing key themes from sociology, politics and social history to life.
The trip began with visits to the High Line and the Empire State Building, allowing students to gain an immediate sense of New York’s urban landscape and development. Day two focused on art and migration, including an expert-led “Art & Society” tour at the Museum of Modern Art and a ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. These experiences deepened students’ understanding of identity, representation and the historical significance of migration to the United States.
Global politics was the focus of day three, with a guided tour of the United Nations headquarters and a powerful visit to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, where students reflected on the global repercussions of terrorism and conflict.
The final day explored social history and neighbourhood change, including the Tenement Museum and walking tours through Midtown and Lower Manhattan, Chinatown and Little Italy.
Throughout the trip, students demonstrated maturity, curiosity and enthusiasm. It was a fantastic opportunity to apply classroom knowledge to real-world contexts, and Year 13 returned inspired, informed and with memories that will last a lifetime.
Mr S Base
Enrichment
DT Competition 2025
In late November 2025, our students took part in an exciting Regional Design & Technology competition organised by the Rotary Club and hosted at Katherine Warington School. This was our second time participating in the tournament. The challenge was to design and build a moving vehicle that could travel the furthest distance up a slanted ramp, powered only by a 200g weight.
There were strict height, length and width limits, meaning any vehicle that exceeded the maximum dimensions would be disqualified. Alongside the practical build, each team also had to produce a detailed and engaging portfolio outlining their research, design process, materials and final solution.
Year 9 Team
Our Year 9 team explored several creative concepts, including a guillotine-style mechanism and a see-saw-inspired design, before settling on a system that used the falling 200g mass to rotate the wheels. Drawing on our knowledge of pulley systems, we designed a mechanism that transferred gravitational potential energy into forward motion.
The project was not without its challenges. At one stage, the string meant to turn the axle simply spun loosely around it instead of gripping and driving it forward. After testing different solutions and refining our design, we successfully solved the issue. Overcoming obstacles like this was one of the most rewarding parts of the experience.
Although we did not bring home a trophy, we gained valuable hands-on experience in designing, building and testing a working product. Seeing our ideas develop from sketches to a functioning vehicle was incredibly satisfying, and we would highly recommend the competition to anyone interested in mechanisms, technology and problem-solving.
Year 8 Team
The Year 8 team also thoroughly enjoyed the competition. On arrival, we carefully examined the materials and tools provided and discussed what the challenge might involve. We quickly realised that we would be designing some form of vehicle — and we were right!
We decided to prioritise completing our portfolio first, as it had the earliest deadline. After planning our approach, we produced detailed drawings and clearly explained how our design would work before submitting our entry.
While we did not win this year, the event was both challenging and enjoyable. It pushed us to think creatively, work collaboratively and manage our time effectively. We would love the opportunity to compete again next year and apply everything we have learned.
Mr Sem-Brako
Sports
Sporting Update!
Well done to everyone who has represented the school over the past month! Our boys gave their best efforts at the County Cross-Country Finals, showcasing great determination and sportsmanship. Additionally, our Year 8 boys’ football team has made it to the District Semi-Final – an impressive achievement that deserves recognition!
As the nights get longer, we’re excited to announce that football training will return on Mondays after school at Sandpit Lane. We encourage all players to continue developing their skills and staying committed.
We were also thrilled to welcome ex-Arsenal Scout, Brian Stapleton, into the school recently. Brian delivered an inspiring and honest assembly to our Sports Academy students and Year 7 footballers. His message about the importance of having the right attitude, working hard in school, and understanding that the journey to becoming a successful sportsperson is rarely easy was both powerful and motivating.
Keep up the great work, boys! We look forward to the football, netball, basketball, and rugby fixtures next month, and we’re excited to see you continue to excel on and off the field.
Mr L Errington
Verulam Cricket Club
Wellbeing and Mental Health
Introducing Sixth Form Mentoring for Children’s Mental Health Week
Verulam has always had a strong focus on how crucial good mental health is to our studies and life in the wider community, so being given the opportunity to train with the NHS Mental Health Support Team and support our younger community has given our team of Sixth Form Mentors a great chance to give back to the school and work with other students, as we aim to elevate Verulam's support system, primarily through mentoring younger students.
The training sessions helped to simulate how we can best handle and support young students for mentoring sessions starting after February half-term, a duty that carries a lot of responsibility and safeguarding complexities, perhaps more than we had anticipated. However, the course enabled us to brainstorm strategies together, allowing us to grow our confidence as individuals and as a team, becoming more familiar with sensitivity, safeguarding and how to create a safe space for mentees to open up to us. So far we’ve really enjoyed the role as it feels primarily student-led, with professional support from our Safeguarding Team and the NHS backing us up in designing assemblies, rotas and 1-1 sessions, in which we as a team have contributed our own speeches and organisation. We wanted the whole school to become at least familiar with us, so during Children’s Mental Health Week we decided to present daily assemblies as an introduction to the Sixth Form Mentoring Team.
We centred on Place2be’s 2026 theme of ‘This is my place’, focusing on how students can help to make Verulam, as well as the wider community, a place to belong for everyone, emphasising small habits like reaching out to friends and breaking down social barriers that create exclusion. This also gave us a chance to remind students of support systems in place, such as Verulam’s ‘Five Fingers of Faith’ or the posters of support websites around the school. We have even been able to visit local primary schools with similar assemblies, reinforcing that mental health should be considered at all stages of life.
As the new Sixth Form Mentoring Team, we want to offer support as best we can, whether through spreading awareness in future assemblies or 1-1 sessions. This wouldn’t be possible without the guidance we’ve had from Mr Holding and Ms Moss, and we’re looking forward to what we might achieve in future with the team.
Evan Thrift & Caila Brennan
Year 12 Senior Mentors
School Update
Pathways Evening
A huge thank you to everyone who attended the KS4 Pathways Evening on Thursday 26th February. We hope that you found the evening informative. There was such a lovely buzz around the school and the feedback received from parents and students has been overwhelmingly positive.
Many students have already submitted their choices. We would be very grateful if you could complete the form as soon as reasonably possible to allow us to start the allocation process. Please submit your choices alongside reserve choices, in case certain subjects are oversubscribed. We look forward to receiving your child's completed options form by Thursday 12th March 2026.
If you have any queries about the process, your child is welcome to speak with their Form Tutor who will be able to direct them to the correct member of staff.
Upcoming events:
Holi
A reminder that all students in Year 7 are invited to participate in our annual Holi celebrations which is planned for Period 5 on Friday 6th March 2026. Please remember to complete the consent form here.
Eid themed lunch
On Thursday 26th March Verulam School will be hosting an Eid themed lunch to mark the end of Ramadan and to celebrate Eid. The lunch will be provided by Culinera and the usual prices will apply. In addition, there is the opportunity for a limited number of students (100 in total) to attend a lunchtime talk in the Main Hall by Deputy Lieutenant Akhtar Zaman who will talk to the students about Ramadan and fasting.
More details about signing up will be communicated soon.
Year 11 & 13 Year Group photos and Senior Prefect photos
Please be advised that Years 11, 13 and Senior Prefects will be having their respective year group photographs on the morning of Tuesday 17th March 2026. ALL Year 11 and Year 13 students will be included in these photographs unless you choose to ‘opt-out’.
December 25/January 26
Message from the Headteacher
Happy New Year to everyone. Although December seems like an age ago, we look back upon a busy and positive end to the year as well as looking forward to the term and year ahead.
The Creative Arts department showcased the talent that we have in Verulam in the performing arts, with an uplifting combination of drama and music in our Festive Showcase. I was delighted to see all years represented and all sorts of genres of music being performed, This bodes well for the future and status of Arts at Verulam. We also welcomed our sixth formers who left us in Summer 2025 back to receive their prizes and
It has been a busy few weeks for Year 11 students, with receiving their mock exam results at the end of term, and a Futures Fortnight to begin this term, including sixth form open evening, breakfast in the sixth form, CV writing workshops, one to one interviews with senior staff and a subject fair and drop ins during this fortnight. We hope as many students as possible choose Verulam sixth form (application deadline is 6th Feb) and more information on applications can be found here. https://verulamschool.co.uk/Sixth-Form/Admissions-2026/
Careers advisors visit the school each week for guidance appointments to support with college applications, employment pathways etc, please speak to Ms Moss if your year 11 son has not yet had an appointment.
It will soon be time for year 9 to choose their options for GCSEs, with guidance available during parents evening on 5th February, in our Pathways booklet and in the Pathways evening on 26th February ahead of choices being submitted with a deadline of 12th March 2026.
Finally, thank you for your support for our Parent Teacher Association. The PTA made grants worth over £10,000 in December to support with equipment and enhancing the curriculum, from student synthesizers, Clavinova pianos and Djembe drums in music to new novels in English, equipment in technology and even Dungeons and Dragons kits and new footballs to support our students.
I have been delivering assemblies to students on their return on reasons to be proud of Verulam (did you know that GCSE results at Verulam have been in the top 20% in England for the past three years running?) and hope that they can celebrate their school and work with me to improve it further.
Fergal Moane
Headteacher
School Update
Verulam School is proud to be recognised by Google as a Google for Education Reference Institution. This designation highlights our excellence and innovation in using Google tools - such as Google Workspace for Education Plus, Gemini and Chromebooks - to create innovative and effective teaching and learning environments that unlock the potential of every student.
Mr J Pettitt
Events
Science Fiction
National Science Fiction Day set the tone for January in the library, spotlighting ‘The Father of Science Fiction’ Isaac Asimov.
Students took on the challenge to explore the unknown across three levels:
Level 1: Read three science fiction books from different worlds
Level 2: Complete three creative missions
Level 3: Finish with one final showcase project
Well done to every student who took part and especially those who finished all 3 levels, outstanding!
Reading Challenges Leaderboard
York are creeping up and threatening to dethrone Hamilton in third place, while Churchill and Brampton remain strong in first and second.
Coming Up Next Month
February is LGBT+ History Month, with the 2026 theme “Science and Innovation.” The library will be celebrating with a new reading challenge and a five-task bonus challenge, including a Hero Hunt and Quote Quest.
National Storytelling Week kicks off February with a “One Object, Many Stories” Challenge, followed by a Valentine’s Day–themed “Blind Date with a Book.” The month will conclude with a Chinese New Year display and reading challenge.
Miss G Pettitt
Festive Showcase
Bringing the Christmas term to a close was the Festive Showcase – a show of two halves. In the first half, the year 9 acting company were performing Ananse and the Sky God and in the second half the music department were showcasing their talent which included some festive twists!
Ananse and the Sky-God is a fictional story of the trickster Ananse (usually depicted as a spider) who wants the Sky God's stories. We follow Ananse as he goes on quests to earn the stories to delight Earth. The Year 9 acting company are a small group of 11 students of which, some of them played three parts! The differences between parts were demonstrated through the use of masks – made by our expert Costume designer – Ms Hannat. There was humour whilst also presenting the underlying message that it is better to be smart than strong.
As usual, Verulam put an alternative spin on the ‘Christmas’ vibe. Amongst many brilliant performances, Ollie Kerr, playing the electric guitar showcased a medley of Christmas songs in a heavy metal style to rapturous applause. Albert Hart showcased his drumming skills in glam rock style with ‘Christmas Time, don’t let the bells end’ by the Darkness. The school choir is finished off the event with a Shakin’ Stevens track – Merry Christmas Everybody. A festive finish to a fabulous evening of entertainment.
Backstage, Sunny Kotecha led on lighting and sound for the first time, with Leo Jess our backstage manager.
It was truly a wonderful evening. Congratulations to Mr Moseley and Miss Way for a splendid evening of merriment.
Mrs C Tomlin
Trips, Visits and Workshops
This week in Art
This week in the art department, year eight had an introduction to print making, creating some fabulous outcomes in a chine colle, mono-printing workshop.
The workshop was run by me, Mr Roberts. I am a PGCE student, completing my second school placement at Verulam. When I arrived I was very impressed with the departments dedication to developing strong fundamental skills of art, including but not limited to print-making, which is always an exciting experience for the students to engage with.
The students in year eight began their chine colle outcomes by collaging a colourful background with tissue paper before diving into the mono-printing process. This technique had them rolling out ink onto a flat surface, placing their collages face down over top and drawing their design on the back to leave an inky impression on top of their colourful backgrounds. The boys were very invested in this process and were dedicated to getting the best outcome as they only had one chance to get the best outcome they could.
I wrapped up the lesson by laying out their prints all together for a group discussion. We had a really positive conversation where the students pointed out prints that were particularly successful, as well as the not so successful prints, allowing us to discuss what may have gone wrong in the printing process and developing their ability to be think critically about artworks and the printmaking process.
Mrs C Tomlin
Tate Modern Trip
The year 10 Art students visited the Tate Modern on Wednesday 3rd December. Primarily they were there to visit the excellent Picasso Exhibition. Whilst small, it contained many key pieces of his work: The Weeping Woman & The Three Dancers for example as well as a variety of different outcomes: bronze sculptures, collage work, paintings, sketchbooks and photos.
Students had time afterwards to browse throughout the entire Tate Modern gallery. They had an opportunity to also see some more of the Cubists: Georges Braques paintings as well as the lesser-known Cubists like Natalia Goncharova. The Tate constantly refreshes and improves their displays ensuring a wide range of different styles and techniques can be seen on every visit. The most obvious difference for the students, is of course the size of the works – which never translate over computer screens! It was a great opportunity for the students to see real life artworks and note the pencil lines, the mistakes and in some cases the rough edges. Students were asked to sketch and draw their favourite pieces and they also had a little quiz to complete as they meandered around the displays.
‘I liked the opportunity to examine Picasso’s work closely especially as we looked at his work last year’. DM
‘I really enjoyed walking round the whole gallery. There is so much different artwork to see. I liked sketching in the gallery too. It was fun. RS.
Mrs C Tomlin
Year 12 Sociology Trip to UCL Sociology Conference
On the 7th of January, our Year 12 Sociology cohort transitioned from the classroom to the lecture theatre, attending a prestigious academic conference at University College London (UCL). This excursion offered more than a mere change of scenery; it provided a rigorous introduction to the intellectual landscape of a world-leading Russell Group university.
The students were privileged to engage with cutting-edge research presented by some of the most distinguished figures in contemporary sociology. The lecture series featured:
Stephen Ball, who addressed the urgent intersection of Education and the climate emergency.
Ashrat Hoque, exploring the complex identity markers of Being young, male, and Muslim in Luton.
Jessica Ringrose, who interrogated the sociological roots of Smartphone Panics.
Yang Hu, examining how Mothers matter for inter-generational mobility on a global scale.
Throughout the day, our students were immersed in the university experience, navigating the campus and witnessing firsthand the depth of scholarship required at the undergraduate level. They moved beyond the constraints of the textbook, engaging with the very individuals who are currently shaping the future of the discipline.
To our Year 12s: you represented Verulam School with exemplary intellectual curiosity. This trip was a glimpse into a future of high-level critical thinking and academic excellence. We encourage all students to remain ambitious in their pursuits; the path to these institutions begins with the dedication you show in your current studies.
Mrs C Braban
Curriculum News
Promising Public Speakers!
There was a busy start to the year in English with all the year 7 and 9 pupils delivering speeches they had written themselves in front of their classmates (no easy task). They all rose to the challenge amazingly and delivered some very well written speeches. We are so proud of them and look forward to developing their oracy further over the coming terms in preparation for their GCSE Spoken Language!
Mrs N Long
Verulam Student Personal Development
It has been a busy start to the term regarding student personal development opportunities. Below is a round up of this month’s activities.
Sixth Form Prefect Team
Whilst our House Team representatives continue to lead on House competitions and events until the end of the Spring term, our Sixth Form Senior Prefect term hand over the reigns to our newly appointed Year 12 Team after the February half term. This will allow our current team in Year 13 to fully focus on their A Level and BTEC courses in the run up to public exams. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our current Year 13 team for their service to the school in the last year.
The process to select our new Senior Prefects is very thorough, students who wish to be considered for the role complete an application in November and those whose applications are the strongest go forward to an interview panel in December. Part of this interview process is to give a short presentation with one other candidate. From this point, the team of 18 students is chosen. However, there is one more stage… within the chosen team, we need to select our School Captain, Head Boy, Head Girl and Vice School Captain. To do this, I asked eight of the newly selected Prefects to prepare and deliver a presentation on one of our core values: Excellence, Character or Respect. They were given no more information than this. These presentations were delivered in assemblies across two weeks. The approaches taken were interesting, different and pitched perfectly for their audience. The time and effort put into preparing these presentations was clear from the professional and polished performances. All eight candidates should be proud of how they performed. Below is a glimpse of some of the slides used by a selection of candidates:
Having garnered feedback from staff on our final eight students and considered their performance throughout the selection process, I am delighted to announce our new Senior Prefect team and key roles as follows (from left to right) Aidan Connery, School Captain, Arthur Basquill, Head Boy, Lexi Archer, Head Girl and Jago Andrew, Vice School Captain
Below is the full Senior Prefect team for 2026 -2027 well done to all. The team have many excellent ideas to enrich school life, but first, they will be attending a leadership conference followed by a practical course on leadership which will stand them in good stead for the year ahead!
Aidan C. School Captain
Arthur B: Head Boy
Lexi A: Head Girl
Jago Andrew: Vice-School Captain
Maja B. Senior Prefect
Evie F. Senior Prefect
Albie H. Senior Prefect, Eco Lead
Leah K. Senior Prefect
Blanka K. Senior Prefect
Ioan L. Senior Prefect
Monalisa M. Senior Prefect
Lukas McIvor, Senior Prefect, Eco Lead
Lucas M. Senior Prefect
Zack M. Senior Prefect
Alex P. Senior Prefect
Tia T. Senior Prefect
Evan T. Senior Prefect, Eco Lead
Mya Y. Senior Prefect
Eco Council
Our Eco Council will be meeting in the coming week to progress plans for the new school pond – thank you to the PTA for funding a camera which we can locate at the pond to film wildlife at night once the pond is complete. The Eco team are very excited to see wildlife in action and track new species who will be attracted by the pond.
In addition, the team will also take part in the Big School Bird Watch organised by the RSPB on Wednesday 28th January (the day that looks likely to be the driest day of the week!) The RSPB have provided excellent bird spotting support materials so I have high hopes for our accuracy and will report back once the results are in.
Super Curriculum
I am to announce the launch of our Super Curriculum this month. The Super Curriculum is a range of activities linked to subjects taught as at school BUT these activities extend beyond the taught curriculum and are for those students wishing to extend their knowledge across a range of subjects. The Super Curriculum can be accessed via the School Website using the menu bar, it is under the ‘Curriculum’ drop down menu. The link is here for ease of access: https://verulamschool.co.uk/Learning/Super-Curriculum/
The Super Curriculum covers activities arranged under the headings:
Students in Years 7, 8, 9 and 12 have Super Curriculum relevant for their year group. In Year 10 the HPQ Qualification is offered as extra curricula and in Years 11 and 13 the focus is more firmly on public exams – although Year 13 students are welcome to complete the Year 12 tasks which will support their interests in subjects they may wish to study post 18.
Students in years 7-9 should submit evidence of their completion of Super Curricular tasks using the ‘submit’ function on the website and should upload their evidence to their ‘Locker’ on UNIFROG. This way they can work toward the new Scholars Gold Stag badge which will be awarded to those who have completed to a high standard at least 20 different activities from a range of subjects – who will be our first GOLD STAG badge winner?
Autumn Term House Competition Results
The Autumn Term House Competitions once again showcased the enthusiasm, commitment and community spirit of our students.
The Verso Care FEED project and competition proved to be another outstanding success in support of a fantastic cause. Brampton finished in third place, York secured second, and the overall winners were Park House, with an impressive total of 354 items donated.
Our Inter-House sporting calendar has been equally eventful, with competitions held in Cross Country, Rugby, Basketball and Table Tennis. The current leaders in House Sports by year group are:
- Year 7: York
- Year 8: Jennings
- Year 9: York
- Year 10: Hamilton
- Year 11: York
In the overall House Sports standings, Park currently sit in third place, Jennings are second, and York lead the table.
Looking ahead to this half term, students can look forward to the House Badminton Competition and the House Art Competition.
The current standings for the Hawkes House Cup are as follows:
1st – Churchill
2nd – Brampton
3rd – Hamilton
4th – Park
5th – York
6th – Jennings
Congratulations to all involved, and we look forward to another exciting term of House competition.
Mrs P Avery & Mr G Waters
Sporting Update
Sports Update
January has seen a number of fixtures postponed due to poor weather conditions. However, towards the end of January and throughout February, we have a busy fixture schedule ahead.
Please keep up to date with the latest information by following our PE social media channels.
Indoor clubs in the sports hall are also back up and running, taking place both at lunchtime and after school. We look forward to seeing as many pupils involved as possible.
Mr L Errington
Wellbeing and Mental Health
Mental Health & Wellbeing: Supporting Our Students Through Winter
As we moved into the second week of the new term, we focused on several key wellbeing initiatives to support our students through the winter months. While the media often highlights Blue Monday, we remain committed to the belief that mental health is a conversation for every day of the year, not just one date on the calendar.
Navigating Winter Challenges
The colder months can bring unique pressures, including exam stress, important academic decisions, and friendship issues. To help students navigate these challenges, we encouraged them to:
- Stay Active: Even short walks in natural daylight can significantly boost mood-regulating hormones like serotonin.
- Check In: We used this time to encourage students to check in with themselves and their peers.
- Digital Wellbeing: Students were reminded to remain mindful of their digital habits and phone use.
The Five Fingers of Faith
A central part of our support framework is the Five Fingers of Faith, which ensures every student knows they have five trusted adults to speak to:
New Initiative: KS3 Sixth Form Mentors
Following a successful recruitment and training period, we have officially launched our KS3 Sixth Form Mentors Programme. This initiative pairs our experienced Sixth Form students with younger peers to provide peer-to-peer guidance and a friendly listening ear. We believe these connections are invaluable in fostering a supportive community across all year groups.
Looking Ahead: Children’s Mental Health Week 2026
We are preparing for Children’s Mental Health Week, taking place from 9th to 15th February 2026. The theme this year is "This is My Place," focusing on the vital role of belonging in our mental health. Students will participate in a series of assemblies and activities to explore how they can feel they truly belong within the Verulam community.
Our Commitment to Support
We are incredibly proud that 82% of our students agree that Verulam encourages them to look after their emotional and mental health, a result that places us significantly ahead of the Trust average.
Available Support Reminders:
- In-School Services: Mentoring, School Counsellor, NHS Mental Health Support Team, and Services for Young People.
- Practical Assistance: We offer financial support for families and help with resources such as school equipment or uniforms.
- Anonymous Reporting: Concerns can always be reported safely via the SHARP system on our school website.
Asking for help shows strength, not weakness, and support is always available.
Everyone deserves good mental health.Mr Holding
Lead Practitioner for Pastoral and Safeguarding
Alumni
Alumni Spotlight: Harry Brandt’s Kilimanjaro Challenge
We are always proud to hear how our former students are making an impact in the world after leaving Verulam. Alumnus Harry Brandt recently reached out to share an inspiring update and a monumental challenge he is undertaking for charity.
Thriving at Loughborough University, Harry will be putting his endurance to the test by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in the summer to raise vital funds for Dig Deep.
Dig Deep
Dig Deep works in one of Kenya’s most under-resourced areas. Their mission is to provide:
· Clean water access for rural communities.
· Safe toilets for schools and families.
· Hygiene training to improve long-term health outcomes.
How Harry is Preparing
To reach his fundraising goal, Harry is also training to run the Milton Keynes Marathon this coming May.
How You Can Support
Harry would be incredibly grateful for any support from the Verulam community. You can read more about his journey, the charity’s work, and donate via his official page:
Donate here:
https://dig-deep.enthuse.com/pf/harry-brandt
Learn more about the charity:
https://www.digdeep.org.uk/
We wish him the very best of luck with his training!
Mr J Pettitt
IT/Network Support
