Welcome from Candy & Emmy
This is our final newsletter of the year. We hope you have enjoyed hearing about all the wonderful talks, trips and excursions organised for our students. We will send a hard copy of January-June newsletter with the end of year reports. Enjoy all the festivities in the coming week and have a wonderful summer. Also, a reminder that if students would like a free printed copy of the all-college photo, please collect it from Parkhill reception by Friday.
Media Trip to Nova Exhibition
On Tuesday, Year 12 Media Studies students visited the Nova Exhibition in London, an immersive exhibition documenting the events surrounding the Nova Music Festival in Israel on 7th October 2023. Through film, photography, personal testimonies and artefacts, students engaged with powerful stories of those affected by the tragedy. The visit provided a moving and thought-provoking experience, prompting thoughtful discussions about the role of media, documentary storytelling and the representation of contemporary events.
This week’s Enrichment Talk
Julian Nott, composer of some very well-known music for film and television, came to speak to us this week. He has written much of the music for Peppa Pig but is also famous for the musical score of the Wallace and Gromit films, having met Nick Park, the films’ creator, while they were students together at the National Film and Television School. Like several of our Enrichment guests, Julian emphasised the importance of this sort of networking, encouraging our own student filmmakers to find a fellow student to soundtrack their films.
Politics and History Trip to National Portrait Gallery
This week our Year 12 History students took a trip to central London for a guided walk combining art, architecture, and political history.
Led by History tutor, Sam and Politics tutor, Steven, the students stopped at the National Portrait Gallery to analyse the visual propaganda of the Tudor monarchs, examining how art was weaponised to project power, legitimacy, and religious authority.
The tour continued through Westminster, St. James’s, and Whitehall, where history came alive underfoot. Students engaged with sites as varied as Lock & Co. hatters, where Winston Churchill and Oscar Wilde famously bought their hats and Banqueting House, the dramatic site of Charles I’s execution.
They stood on top of Henry VIII’s lost wine cellar, discussed Anne Boleyn’s coronation banquet within the historic walls of Westminster Hall, and tracked the changing relationship between London’s geography and political power. Using the York Watergate on the Embankment as a focal point, the group learnt how proximity to the River Thames once dictated influence and status in the capital.
It was a fantastic opportunity for them apply their analytical skills to the real world, bringing history and politics vividly to life.
Foundation + GCSE Art Exhibitions
On Wednesday, we were delighted to host our Foundation and GCSE Art Exhibitions, showcasing the final pieces created by our Foundation Diploma and GCSE Art students. The exhibition was very well attended by students, families and staff, and provided a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the creativity, dedication and talent of our young artists. It was a lovely afternoon and a fitting showcase of the exceptional work being produced across the College.
Student Play – ‘After the Dance’ by Terence Rattigan
On Wednesday and Thursday, we performed the student production ‘After the Dance’.
It has been a pleasure to bring After the Dance to life with such an enthusiastic and committed cast of students. Throughout a busy term filled with A-levels, GCSEs and end-of-year activities, our actors and technicians have approached rehearsals with professionalism, creativity and remarkable dedication.
Art, Music Tech and Music students came together to bring the set and technical elements to life alongside teachers and staff staying late, climbing ladders and filling coupe glasses! It has been a brilliant collaborative effort.
I hope you enjoy spending an evening in the world of After the Dance as much as we have enjoyed creating it.
Bryony Reiss – Director
Year 9 and 10 Trip to Broadstairs
Next Monday, Year 9 and Year 10 students will visit Broadstairs for a day by the coast. The trip will include a scenic coastal walk, lunch and some well-deserved ice creams on Viking Bay, providing a wonderful opportunity for students to relax, socialise and enjoy the seaside as the academic year draws to a close. A reminder that registration is at 8.30am and students must have sun lotion.
End of Year Summer Show
We would love to invite parents, students and friends of the College to our End of Year Summer Exhibition next Wednesday. The celebration will begin with a screening of student films at the Everyman Cinema at 3.00pm, followed by an exhibition of artwork, live music performances, prize giving and a fashion show at Centre Studios from 4.15pm, accompanied by drinks and canapés. It promises to be a wonderful showcase of the creativity and talent across the college.
End of Term
A reminder that Friday 26th June will be the last day of term for students, with lessons finishing at lunchtime. As another busy and successful academic year draws to a close, we would like to thank all students and families for their support and wish everyone a happy, restful and enjoyable summer break.