Spring 2026

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 5^th February, in our Pathways booklet and in the Pathways evening on 26^th February ahead of choices being submitted with a deadline of 12^th 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 28^th 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

fixture jan26.pdf

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