Newsletter – September 2024
A warm welcome or welcome back to Verulam families for the first newsletter of the year! We were delighted by the results achieved by our students in the summer public exams and my first duty is to give them the congratulations they deserve.
I’d like to recognise our new year 7 and year 12 students who have settled into school remarkably well and everyone has commented on how engaged, polite and eager to learn they are. They have embraced school life, from finishing second in the year 7 district ‘mob race’ to taking part in our Engaging Minds lectures, including Richard Wilson from ‘Stop Funding Hate’. I’m delighted to welcome so many female students to our sixth form, where the co-educational ethos really enriches lessons.
Our other year groups are also prospering, including success for the senior football team and the nomination of prefects and house captains in year 11. Year 10 have made a strong start to their GCSE journey. The new canteen service delivered by Culinera has been very popular as food quality and quantity are markedly improved. We will soon have elections to the school council (during UK Parliament week) and our first house charity drive is to support the St Albans and District Foodbank, the FEED project based at the Vineyard church. We will be asking for your donations soon for this worthy cause.
A reminder about Open Evening on the 1st October where formal school will finish at 12:20 and restart again at 11:20 the following day. Many students will be helping us on the evening to show off the best version of the school, and we thank them for their support.
Finally, our excellent Parent Teacher Association are running a range of events this year and their support is vital to the school. The Fireworks Festival on 25th October is a first and see elsewhere in this newsletter for details on how to book tickets.
Thank you again for your support for the school, we are excited to keep moving the school forward.
Mr Moane
Headteacher
Trips & Visits
Year 10 Trip to AndalucĂa
This immersive journey provided a fantastic opportunity for our students to hone their Spanish language skills and to deepen their understanding of Spanish culture. Throughout the trip, Year 10 GCSE Spanish students displayed exemplary behaviour and a remarkable enthusiasm for learning. Their willingness to engage with the language and embrace new experiences was truly commendable. They served as outstanding ambassadors for Verulam, gathering praise from guides and locals alike for their respectful and considerate manners. A particular highlight was the students’ dedication to speaking Spanish throughout the trip. This enhanced their language skills and boosted their confidence. Their efforts significantly enriched their experience and facilitated personal growth.
The itinerary offered a captivating blend of historical exploration and cultural immersion. Students visited the vibrant cities of Malaga, Granada, and Seville, participating in tours of iconic landmarks such as La Alhambra, La Alcazaba Palace, and the Royal Alcázar, not to mention La Rosaleda Football Stadium, home of Malaga FC. A delicious tapas tour tantalized taste buds and further expanded their Spanish vocabulary. For a refreshing break, the group enjoyed a thrilling day at Isla Mágica theme park. To fully embrace Spanish life, the students participated in a fun and informative cooking class, learning to prepare traditional dishes like paella and gazpacho (this was then our delicious dinner!)
We believe experiences like this are invaluable in developing well-rounded individuals with a global perspective. The Andalusian adventure undoubtedly left a lasting impression, equipping the students with cherished memories and a deeper appreciation for the Spanish language and culture. You can relive some of the Andalusian magic by visiting our trip’s dedicated Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/verulamandalucia24
¡Hasta luego!
Mr Holding
Curriculum Enrichment
Verulam Elects 2024
A big thank you goes to all students who took part in our Verulam election, especially our wonderful volunteers! Students were provided with anonymised manifestos ensuring that they engaged in some fantastic discussion around the best policies for their community. Well done in particular to 8J receiving the highest turnout at 73.1% and to Max D in 10P who correctly predicted the number of MPs the governing party would win in our competition!
Overall results:
Bears (Lib Dems) – 31.7%
Badgers (Reform) – 21.3%
Lions (Greens) – 16.4%
Eagles (Tories) – 15.7%
Gorillas (Labour) – 14.9%
Alex P 10C – How do the results compare to Starmer’s win?
In our election, results differed significantly from national patterns. Significantly among 18-24-year olds, by percentage Labour received 25% more votes compared to our school election, where the other parties performed worse. In St Albans, the Lib Dems’ Daisy Cooper had a much larger vote share than in our election despite them coming out on top at Verulam, with others doing better in our results.
Tobi I 9P – Why were Badgers so popular in Y9 and Y10?
The election provided fascinating insights, notably the strong support for the Badgers (Reform) among Y9 and Y10. Reform has been increasingly popular nationwide, particularly among voters who feel disenfranchised by traditional parties suggesting a yearning for fresh leadership. St Albans, characterised by its high average household income, presents economic pressures such as high living costs. These factors may drive support for Reform that advocate for economic efficiency and tax reductions. This resonated with some students who are beginning to develop their political identities.
Elliot M 9J – Badgers do well but the Bears and other progressives win out
The Bears stormed to victory by over 10%! There was much discussion of their policies including increasing school funding above inflation each year and ensuring 90% of energy is generated by renewables by 2030. This vote may also be reflective of St Albans with students sharing the values of guardians/parents who voted overwhelmingly for the Lib Dems. Despite the Badgers doing well in Y9 and Y10 the progressive parties certainly came out on top in this election.
Mr Jenkins
Board Games Club
An exciting addition to our clubs timetable this term is the newly launched board games club. We had a number of Year 7s and 8s meeting up to play all sorts of games but Chess and UNO proved very popular. The club endeavors to encourage like-minded students to bond and socialise without a screen. Lower school students are welcome to drop in on Tuesday lunchtimes, 12:20-13:10 and are welcome to bring their lunch with them. We are also in desperate need of some more board game donations, so if you have any lying around at home please send them in to us.
Mrs Tansley
STEAM Club has started with a bang!
After such a fun year creating, testing and successfully competing against other schools to fire water bottles, our STEAM club students arrived back full of ideas for the year ahead. We were so pleased to welcome not only a number of new students (including some year 7 students), Mx Moreland, Mr Charmokly and Miss Morris have joined our team.
After much debate we settled on our first project as being catapult building. We quickly started building models using lollipop sticks, elastic bands and lego characters as ammunition. By week two we progressed onto borrowing wood from Mr Charmokly’s garden to build a large trebuchet! We are currently deciding how best to store our creation and exactly what it should fire! We look forward to sharing our work on the school’s open evening soon.
If you are interested in joining STEAM club, please come along to S3 on a Wednesday after school from 3.10 for an hour.
Mrs Cornmell
Pastoral
Year 7 First Impressions
The transition to Year 7 has been a very successful programme of events. We started by Mr Knowles and Mrs Moss visiting as many primary schools as we could fit in. On some Mr Moane also joined us. This was a chance for our new intake to meet their head of year and ask any questions about the school as they could. Next came our Saturday morning transition event meeting form tutors and making friends in their forms for the first time. This was quickly followed by Secondary Transfer Day where we put on a day of taster lessons for our new students.
We have now completed our first few weeks and Year 7 have really made a great first impression. House Points are already flooding in and many students have already earned Letters of Recognition towards their Blue Stag award. A group of boys came second in the District Mob race and Year 7 are now starting to attend ECCO and sports clubs with many hopefuls ready to get on to the school sports teams. We have lots of events planned for Year 7 this year and I am looking forwards to sharing them with you.
Mr Knowles
Annual Food Bank Collection
Every year Verulam students and staff support our local Food Bank by donating items through school. The assemblies to launch our collection centred on the idea of worth and giving what you can. In terms of ‘worth’ the worth of an item will vary from one person to the next, for example someone who is well off or comfortably off may consider the worth of a tube of toothpaste very differently to someone who is struggling to afford basic items.
In terms of ‘giving what you can’ the students were asked to consider not just giving a couple of items which make no difference to their lives at all, but pushing themselves to donate at a level where they feel the difference and feel that they have made the effort and a small sacrifice perhaps in order to fully engage and help others with their donations.
Our collection starts on Monday 30th September and runs for 2 weeks. If you can donate please see the list of items we are accepting. We are running this as a House competition so please ensure items are in a bag that is labelled with your son’s Year and House – for example: 8B. Students should take their donations to their form room. House reps for each form will then take the items to the canteen where they will be counted and added to the house/year totals.
We are aiming for 4,000 items so please give what you can!
Mrs Avery
Sports Round-Up
We are excited to share some updates from the PE department. This year, we have welcomed Miss Bendahman as our new PE Technician. She has settled in seamlessly and has already made a significant impact both in lessons and extracurricular activities.
The enthusiasm and engagement of our students in PE have been exceptional. We are particularly impressed with their involvement in lessons and extracurricular activities since our return this year.
Our sports fixtures have kicked off with matches in football, rugby, and cross country. A standout moment so far has been the Year 7 boys’ impressive second-place finish in the District Mob Race.
Our after-school clubs, including football, rugby, badminton, and table tennis, have been well-attended, and we hope this level of participation continues into the winter months.
Thank you for your continued support.
Mr Errington
Curriculum News
REvision
The fifth of September marked the beginning of GCSE and A level revision sessions in the Religious studies department, which has seen an array of students embarking on their relentless journey to academic excellence.
Building these good habits early on has really helped some boys settle straight in to the rigorous demands of the subject and some interesting discussions have taken place- particularly with year 12 on the subject of reality and discussing Plato’s cave analogy, with many concluding that indeed, the unexamined life is not worth living.
As we approach Yom Kippur (11-12 October 2024), the RS department would like to encourage all of our students to reflect on their past year both academically and socially in order to build on and improve ahead of what will be, for some, their final school years.
Mr Curcic
Rewards and Awards
The House Team at Verulam
All of our House Captains in Year 11 and our House Representatives in Years 8 to 10 have received their badges. It is a pleasure to work with our House team who will be in post until the end of the Spring term. During their time in office, our team will help with charitable ventures such as our collection for the local Food Bank and some of the team will also go on to do some voluntary work in the warehouse to see what happens to the goods we donate. They will also represent the school at Open Evening and will organise their form to take part in school sporting events and competitions throughout the year.
The team meet with myself on regularly and are encouraged to engage with house activities and come up with initiatives of their own which they can then lead on. This helps students to develop confidence and leadership skills.
Year 7 tutors are getting to know their forms this half term and will be selecting two students from each form to join our House Team after half term. I look forward to meeting our newest team members in November.
Mrs Avery
Eco News
We’re excited to start the new term by welcoming two extra special new additions to the Verulam community. Georgie and Charlie have moved into the staff quad where they can spend their days scratching in the dirt and enjoying the sunshine.
Chickens can contribute to a school’s sustainability efforts by providing a source of fresh eggs for the food tech department. Students are also given an opportunity to learn about food production, nutrition, and the importance of sustainable practices. They can also help reduce food waste though we do ask students and visitor not to feed the chickens as some things are poisonous to chickens and can make them very sick.
Once Georgie and Charlie are settled, students will have opportunities to become more involved with their care and upkeep. Keeping chickens requires responsibility and care, which can teach students important life skills such as empathy, teamwork and commitment. Interacting with animals, such as chickens, has been shown to have a positive impact on emotional wellbeing. Chickens can provide a calming and therapeutic effect to students.
Staffing Updates
Welcome
This September we have welcomed a number of new staff to Verulam including our new Deputy Headteacher, Kate Thackray. Miss Thackray began her teaching career as a Teach First participant working as an English teacher in East London. She has remained in teaching for the last 15 years and was most recently Deputy Headteacher at Oasis Academy South Bank in South London. Miss Thackray has also worked as a SEND consultant for a teacher training charity and we are excited for her to bring her expertise in this area to our school.
Miss Thackray is leading on Inclusion across the school; supporting student wellbeing, special educational needs, attendance and mental health. Miss Thackray is also the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead.
Miss Thackray has joined the English department and is enjoying teaching Romeo & Juliet to her Year 11s.
A very warm welcome to Miss Thackray and all the other new staff members who are joining us at Verulam!
Events & Celebrations
PTA Fireworks Festival
The PTA are delighted to be launching the Verulam PTA FIREWORKS FESTIVAL on Friday 25th October!
This will be Verulam’s first ever Fireworks Festival and it will be MASSIVE!!
Our enormous concrete area at Sandpit Lane playing fields is the perfect spot for a fireworks night, so they’re going to make it the best event of the season! Please put the date in your diary now! It will be a fantastic evening of food, drinks, mulled wine, free glow sticks, a DJ and of course incredible fireworks (and a great way to celebrate the end of the first half term of the year!)
Doors open: 6.00pm
Fireworks: 7.30pm
Ends: 9.00pm
Please note that there will be no parking on site at Sandpit Lane however disabled parking is available if pre-booked. Tickets for the Fireworks Festival are available here.
Year 7 Welcome Lunch
On Saturday 21st September we welcomed our new Year 7 parents, carers and students to our annual welcome lunch. We managed to dodge the rain and the weather was set fair for the afternoon. The afternoon was well attended and it was a chance for our new parents to network with each other and forge new, long lasting partnerships for the future of our new cohort of students.
Mr Moane, Headteacher and Mr Knowles, Head of Year 7 made a short welcome address, commenting on the success of our new Year 7 boys who have made and excellent transition to secondary school life. We are looking forward to seeing them flourish over the coming months and years. Also at the event were Miss Perry and Mrs Thackray, our Deputy Heads and Mrs Toley and Mrs Welch who spoke to many of our parents about the school and the students.
The Verulam PTFA provided a cold buffet and bar for the event and managed to recruit some new volunteers that will help to support the school in the future. A huge thank you to the PTFA for volunteering and giving up their time to support the event.
Mr Knowles
Coming Up
Tuesday 1st October
Open Evening (early close at 12.20pm)
Wednesday 2nd October
Late start following Open Evening. Students in school for first lesson at 11.20am.
Thursday 3rd – Tuesday 8th OctoberÂ
Open Morning Tours
Thursday 10th October
Year 8 Information Evening
Friday 11th October
HPQ Trip to Southampton University
Monday 14th – Friday 18th October
Year 10 Blue Peris Trip
Monday 14th – Friday 18th October
Year 11 Work Experience
Wednesday 16th October
Year 9 Information Evening
Friday 18th October
Abbey Service
Monday 21st October
Year 10 Information Evening
Tuesday 22nd October
Year 7, 8 & 9 Flu Vaccinations
Wednesday 23rd October
Year 10 & 11 Flu Vaccinations
Thursday 24th October
Year 10 & 12 Computing Trip to Bletchley Park
Friday 25th October
PTA Fireworks Festival
