"The whole child is our whole point."
This year, for the first time, all our Year 12 Chemistry students took part in the University of Cambridge Chemistry Challenge. The competition aimed to stretch and challenge students interested in chemistry and provided an excellent experience for those considering taking their studies further.
On Thursday 14th of July the Year 12 Chemistry students visited the Department of Chemistry at Queen Mary University of London. The students started the day with a brief talk by Dr Tippu Sheriff about the undergraduate programme and the current research groups at the department. The students then moved to the undergraduate teaching laboratory where they synthesised aspirin and performed qualitative and spectroscopic analysis of their products.
Earlier this month the Design and Technology exhibition took place at Weald. Inspiring work was showcased from year 11 at both campuses, as well as from year 13 at Tonbridge. The creations were admired by many visitors and awards were given for “Best in Show” and “thinking outside the box”.
After three years, the Weald Art department were delighted to once again have an exhibition celebrating all the work our GCSE and A level students have produced over the year.
At our Tonbridge site, we had Year 11, 12 and 13 work on display and at our Sevenoaks site we showed work from our first 11 GCSE class. It was lovely to see so many students, parents and friends come and celebrate the work produced.
Year 12 enjoyed a packed day focussing on post 18 choices and careers. They have been fortunate to hear from experts in personal statements and university applications as well as apprenticeships. They learned how to manage interviews both for university and the job market.
As part of her Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award, Emily in Year 9 set a goal to swim 30km in open water in 3 months in order highlight how swimming helps to improve mental health and shine a light on the issues of young people, while also raising donations for Young Minds Trust.
It was wonderful to see our year 13 students return to celebrate at their Leaver's Event at the end of June. There was a lovely atmosphere, with students and staff catching up over refreshments and canapés. The school band were fantastic and it was great to hear their performances throughout the event.
On Thursday 30 June, six students competed in the TRY-athlon - A Birmingham Commonwealth legacy event held at Tonbridge sports ground and swimming pool. This was an individual event whereby students took part for the personal challenge. Participants began in waves, starting with 100m swim, followed by a 4km cycle and finishing with a 1.5km run. All six students completed the event with such a positive attitude and much fun was had by all.
We are excited to share with you that we have been awarded a certificate from the Duke of Edinburgh office celebrating our volunteering effort and its impact.
Congratulations to Sumie in Year 11 who came in third in the Southeastern Championships in May at Sevenoaks Prep School.
At the beginning of May sisters Maddy in Year 11 and Bea in Year 9 competed in the Ball Cup at the Olympic rowing lake at Eton Dorney. Maddy had a fantastic day, winning gold in both the Women’s J16 double and single. Bea made it through to the final in her women’s J14 single, narrowly missing out on a medal with 4th place.
In April a selection of our year 7 and 8 students took the UK Mathematics Trust Junior Maths Challenge. This is an annual competition taken across the whole country which is a selection of mathematical problem solving questions designed to make students think. The questions encourage mathematical reasoning, precision of thought and fluency.