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Academy News

Learning during lockdown has helped our students literally aim for the stars!

13th October 2020webadmin webadmin

Learning during lockdown has helped our students literally aim for the stars!

 

The Summer break has afforded our students time to relax and rejuvenate before the new academic year, but in the case of one of our Level 3 students, it gave her time to explore further her passion for Physics. Azizah Abdul aspires to become an Astronaut or Astrobiologist and has spent her summer break studying Astronomy, specifically using Faulkes Telescopes to take and produce imagery. 

Alongside three other female students and under the guidance of her Physics tutor, Mr Simpson, Azizah is learning exactly what it takes to pursue and succeed in her chosen career path. As well as learning with the academy, she was fortunate enough to be signed up for the Cardiff University Physics Summer School. By way of this, she has met (online) Dr Chris North (Astrophysicist), who is a colleague of Professor Jane Greaves (Astronomer), the scientist who led an international team of astronomers that recently made the discovery of Phosgene on Venus and possible signs of extremophile life. 

As well as learning the essential processes and skills she needs in order to achieve her goals, Azizah now also has the opportunity to learn from esteemed individuals and most significantly, a female pioneer in the word of Astronomy.

We are immensely proud to have so many students showing such high-level interest in our STEM subjects, and equally proud of the dedicated staff who ensure students are given every opportunity to learn further from experts in their fields.

Like most budding scientists, Azizah is motivated by a love of discovery and a deep pursuit of knowledge; we look forward to seeing how her endeavours culminate in the coming years.

Academy News,Front Page News,Uncategorized

Congratulations to all UCL Academy students on their GCSE results

21st August 2020webadmin webadmin

Congratulations to all UCL Academy students on their GCSE results

 

 

The UCL Academy is delighted to announce another excellent set of GCSE results. During a time of such uncertainty, we couldn’t be prouder of our class of 2020. Students achieved well across the board, with many achieving the top grade levels of 8 and 9. We also have great pride in saying that many of our students will be returning to the Academy for its Sixth Form this year.

The Year 11 students have been a credit to themselves, The Academy and their parents.    

Robin Street and Simon McBride Co-Principals of the Academy said “Just as last week, today must be about celebrating and supporting every single one of our students at the end of this unprecedented academic year. Ensuring that all students receive the recognition they all deserve is our absolute priority. The atmosphere at school today has reminded us of how compassionate and supportive our students are and we could not be prouder of how staff have worked with our students today. For those moving on to other institutions, we bid them a fond farewell and we know they will go on to achieve huge success”.

 

The most outstanding individual performances include:

 

Blendi Gerxhalija has been studying at the Academy since Year 7. Today, he is celebrating an outstanding set of results including 10 GCSEs with 6 in grades 7-9. His family are incredibly proud of his results. Blendi said “The best thing about UCL Academy is the teaching environment, which you can really succeed in”. Blendi is looking forward to starting his A Levels in September. On completion, he aspires to study at Cambridge University.

 

Samina Uddin was excited to collect her results this morning and overwhelmed by her achievements, 7 9s and 2 8s. As one of the Academy’s top performing students, Samina is now looking forward to studying for her A Levels.

 

Dario Stenbeck Schiavo – With 10 GCSEs (9 in grades 7-9), Dario is celebrating a wonderful achievement at the Academy. Dario thanked all his teachers, in particular the Maths department who he said “pushed me even further in spite of my grade 9, and the online lessons in Engineering”. Dario is looking forward to resuming his studies later this year.

 

Ariona Pajaziti was thrilled to collect her results this morning which included 10 GCSEs (7 in grades 8-9). Ariona is looking forward to continuing her studies and said her experience was made “exceptional by the fun and enjoyable teaching that she was lucky enough to be part of at the Academy ”.

 

 

 

Academy News,Front Page News

Congratulations to all our A Level students, after (hopefully) a unique year

13th August 2020webadmin webadmin

Congratulations to all our A Level students, after (hopefully) a unique year

 

As always, we are delighted to announce the results of our A-Level students. Despite several challenging months, the commitment and hard work of the students have culminated in another successful year, with many of our 2019/2020 cohort securing places at so many of the UK’s leading universities, including of course our Sponsor UCL. The academy is intensely proud of this year’s graduates and celebrates the resilience and determination of students, teachers, and parents over the last few months specifically.

Overall, the results for our students continue to be very strong. Our 2019 outcomes put us in the top 20% of similar schools nationally, and students this year leave us with just as strong grades as ever.     

Robin Street and Simon McBride Co-Principals of the Academy said “Today must be about celebrating and supporting every single one of our students at the end of this unprecedented academic year. We are absolutely delighted that so many of our students have confirmed places on their chosen university courses. Ensuring that all students receive the recognition they all deserve is our absolute priority. The atmosphere at school today has reminded us of how compassionate and supportive this year group is and we could not be prouder of how staff have worked with our students today. We bid them a fond farewell as they move on, we know that these students will go on to achieve huge success, academically, socially and professionally”.

 

Some of the stand-out individual performances:

 

Ponmile Femi-Sunmaila is planning to study Computer Science at University College London. He achieved a great set of results; one A*, one A, one B and one C. Ponmile thanked all his teachers for their “dedication to making lessons so productive and for helping him achieve his goals”.

 

 

 

 

 

Jimena Benedetto – With one A* and three As, Jimena is excited to be taking up her place at the University of York to study Natural Sciences. Jimena thanked UCL for “all the opportunities” they have given her. She said the “workshop trips in particular helped immensely with my applications”.

 

 

 

 

 

Jacques Foex has been a student at the academy since Year 7. He achieved an amazing set of results; three A*s and one A in his chosen subjects. Jacques said “The best thing about UCL is the teaching staff, they offer a wide range of support to anyone that needs it and they’re really good at making sure everybody stays on track to get the results they deserve”. Jacques has secured a place at Warwick University to study Mathematics.

 

 

 

 

Eva Barci performed exceptionally well in her studies, gaining one A* and two As in Geography, Government History and Politics; she will be taking up her place later this year to study law at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Eva aspires to become a Lawyer and eventually a Judge and credits the teachers with “giving her all the resources and support” she needed to succeed.

 

 

 

 

 

Ayub Mohamed, the Academy’s very own Head Boy is extremely proud to have achieved one A and two Bs in his chosen subjects and will be taking up his place to study Quantity Surveying at Reading University. Ayub thanked his mathematics mentor for “all the support he gave”, in addition to all the other students and teachers. He finished by saying “I very much recommend this school”. 

 

 

Academy News,Front Page News,Uncategorized

Student Praises Critchley Scholarship

27th July 2020webadmin webadmin

Student Praises Critchley Scholarship

 

In September 2018, two students were chosen from a group of high achieving female students to receive support and mentoring from Elizabeth Critchley, a successful businesswoman and a Partner of Ripplewood Advisors Limited. The Scholarship is a programme of talks and visits, helping to inspire students to be ambitious, confident and successful in their studies and future careers.

Iman Noah is one of the Academy’s first ever Critchley Scholars and has recently graduated.

Iman said this: “The Critchley Scholarship has opened many doors for me during my time at the UCL Academy, as well as for my future. It has allowed me to independently fund a volunteering trip to Cambodia during the summer of 2019 where I taught English to locals and helped with teacher training. Furthermore, the ‘Critchley Scholarship’ itself is a stand-out point on my UCAS application and CV. Not only did it provide a great talking point in multiple interviews, it’s also allowing me to fund my travel expenses for a paid internship with FTI Consulting in Malaysia. I’ve also saved part of the scholarship fund for travelling at the end of my gap year (if covid allows for that!).

However, the most invaluable part of the Critchley Scholarship has been the incredible mentorship I’ve received. Elizabeth has helped me with queries surrounding education, career and personal development. No matter what you choose to do with the scholarship, it will set you on a fast-track to making yourself an inspiration to other women, just like Elizabeth.”

Iman’s experience is testament to the success of the programme and undoubtedly upholds the belief “that the only ceiling to achievement is your own ambition”. Elizabeth Critchley

As the first Critchley Scholars complete their journey at the Academy, we look forward to welcoming two more students to this most prestigious of programmes. And as always, we would like to thank Elizabeth Critchley for her ongoing support and dedication.

 

 

Academy News,Front Page News,Uncategorized

UCL Academy Virtual Choir Sings ‘Lean On Me’

5th June 2020webadmin webadmin

UCL Academy Virtual Choir Sings ‘Lean On Me’

 

 

 

Like most schools, our Academy has been closed to the majority of students for many weeks now. However, through the use of our Online Academy Curriculum, the lines of communication have been open throughout. Teachers, students, parents and carers have remained in constant contact, but as many have expressed, face-to-face contact is something most are longing for.

Stephen Davies, a Performance Coach at the Academy recognised this and said “As soon as the UCL Academy had to close its gates due to the COVID-19 outbreak, myself and Mr. Street were in talks from the first week, discussing ideas of a possible virtual choir. We came to the decision that it would be important to bring the UCL Academy family together by doing a video featuring students, staff, parents and Governors of the UCL Academy. I sent out the materials needed to record and began receiving everyone’s videos. It was so good to see everyone’s reactions and keen attitudes towards this project. It was a pleasure to put together, and I can only hope that the video puts a smile on as many people’s faces as possible. I think the song choice conveys an important message during these testing times, as well as leaving an important message to students – not to worry, to stay safe and that we are all looking forward to seeing them again as soon as possible.”

What emerged is a truly heartwarming rendition of Bill Withers’ ‘lean on me.’

The recording captures a spirit of unity that we have seen locally, nationally and globally, a poignant reminder of how we can all connect through the power of song.

 

Please click on the thumbnail to see the video

 

Academy News,Front Page News,Uncategorized

8th Place National Ranking for UCL Academy Students using Century

30th March 2020webadmin webadmin

8th Place National Ranking for UCL Academy Students using Century

 

At the end of our first week of online learning, we are delighted and proud to announce that our students are currently in 8th place nationally on their completion of questions on Century (over 57,000 questions answered this month!). Furthermore, over 1100 house points had been awarded on Classcharts as of mid-morning on Friday.

Students have engaged really well with new ways of working and many examples of their work over the last week can be viewed via our latest Parent Bulletin: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qAP-XhBfSSBum2IexlkAF3Yxh-Rr_OJ0/view

 

 

Academy News,Front Page News,Uncategorized

STEAM Week Continues to Educate and Inspire Students

13th March 2020webadmin webadmin

STEAM Week Continues to Educate and Inspire Students

We’re nearing the end of STEAM week and as expected, its been nothing but exceptional!

 

Engineering and Drama joined forces this week, taking students who show particular commitment and interest in these subjects on two trips. Students visited the world-renowned drama school, The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. They were also lucky enough to tour the building and gain an invaluable insight into studying Set Design.

We also chose 21 L1 and L1P girls to attend a trip to the London Coliseum, resident home of the English National Opera. In this most wonderful of cultural institutions, students received a talk from the Head of Pulley systems and Head of Drawing. They also had the opportunity to tour the building, seeing key working elements such as the orchestra pit and wig department.

It was a fantastic opportunity for students to develop their knowledge of STEAM careers and many left inspired and eager to pursue further opportunities in the field. Our students were also exceptional ambassadors for the UCL Academy.

All in all, a great day was had by all!

Academy News,Front Page News,Uncategorized

Contemporary Art Lectures by Acclaimed Artists – Tuesday 3rd March

9th March 2020webadmin webadmin

Contemporary Art Lectures by Acclaimed Artists -Tuesday 3rd March

On Tuesday, our A Level Art students took part in an immersive day of Art lectures. They were lucky enough to meet and hear from four leading contemporary artists working in different areas of art and design; learning about their creative journeys, what inspires them and how they turn an idea into a work of art. Students heard from Cornelia Parker OBE RA, Simon Norfolk, Stuart Pearson Wright and Ingrid Murphy.

Cornelia Parker is one of Britain’s most acclaimed artists. Her work contains themes of gain and loss and often transforms ordinary objects into something compelling and extraordinary. She has produced a diverse range of work and collaboration features heavily in her process. She worked with a Nobel Prize winning scientist to turn fragments of Picasso paintings into new artwork. And, along with the help of the Embroiderer’s Guild and prisoners, she recreated the Wikipedia Magna Carta page in embroidery; marking the 800th anniversary of the granting of the Magna Carta.

The talk from Simon Norfolk, an award winning documentary photographer who often captures moments of war or crisis, helped students understand the link between art history, fine art and photography. Simon succinctly explained how the framing and composition of his war reportage often links back to paintings of the 1600’s.

Stuart Pearson Wright, one of the UK’s leading portrait artists, gave a superbly entertaining talk enabling students to learn about his process and inspiration. He has won both the National Portrait Gallery BP travel prize and first prize in the BP portrait awards. His paintings of John Hurt and JK Rowling were purchased by the National Portrait Gallery and are often on display. Students learned about the personal nature of inspiration and how you can use your own experience and identity to drive forward ideas.

Ingrid Murphy spoke of the connection between ancient and modern artistic techniques. An award winning ceramicist, Ingrid explained how she merges science with craft in her digital design and making processes. Students were particularly fascinated with her use of metals in glazes to produce electric switches and enabling sound and connection across time and space.

Academy News,Front Page News,Uncategorized

Level 2+ Students Embrace Technology as a Learning Tool

5th March 2020webadmin webadmin

Level 2+ Students Embrace Technology as a Learning Tool 

The UCL Academy recognises the role of technology in an ever-increasing digitised society. Moreover, we want to give students the edge they need to achieve their true potential.

With the introduction of two new online learning tools, we feel a significant leap forward has been made in this quest. The first of these tools is CENTURY and is currently being used by Level 2+ students preparing for their GCSE summer exams (the programme is currently available for use in Maths, English and Science). Every student is unique and has a different aptitude for learning, so one of the major advantages of this online tool is that it adapts to each student’s skill level and lets them learn at a pace best suited to their needs. The programme design ensures that individual strengths and weaknesses are noted, and learning is adjusted accordingly. From a teaching perspective, the live analysis which forms an integral part of the programme also means teachers have complete control over the workload and greater ability to give accurate feedback and suggestions.

 

CENTURY is a programme used by students, teachers and parents, all have access to the same platform and therefore have a greater insight into what each child is learning inside and outside of the school. As a result, parents have more ability to support and direct their child than ever before. For more detailed information on how this programme works, see the following link: https://www.century.tech/explore-century/parents/

As mentioned in an email circulated to Level 2+ students and parents, special classes will be available at the upcoming consultation evening in March. These are intended to help parents understand more fully the technology and the benefits to education.

The second of the tools is Adapt (https://getadapt.co.uk/), an app that helps students organise and plan for their exams. Success in exams depends to a large extent on how well a student prepares and this programme assists with developing key details such as revision timetables and techniques. The app database gives access to every exam topic in the UK, saving students precious time and energy searching for information online. It also acts as a motivation tool, tracking progress and allowing students to see their achievements on a personal online graph. All in all, Adapt will help lower stress levels and in turn allow the student to perform at their peak.

Adapt and CENTURY are both fun and dynamic tools which have been received extremely positively by our Level 2+ students. They have certainly made teaching more relatable and will undoubtedly make a positive difference in the upcoming summer exams.

 

Academy News,Front Page News

Visit of Demis Hassabis, Co-Founder and CEO of DeepMind

27th November 2018Miss E JOBSON

Visit of Demis Hassabis, Co-Founder and CEO of DeepMind

 

A very lucky group of Academy students were inspired today (Tuesday 27th November) by a visit from Demis Hassabis, one of the world’s most prominent business leaders and one of the world’s top 100 most influential people according to Time Magazine. Demis, Co-Founder and CEO of DeepMind, took the students on a journey through his impressive career from chess prodigy to computer scientist to neuroscientist to video game designer to artificial intelligence scientist and entrepreneur.

 

The event was possible thanks to a partnership between DeepMind and Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC), an educational charity that champions the playing of chess to promote key academic and social skills that children will use throughout their lives. Hassabis, a child chess prodigy and England junior chess captain, believes that games like chess provide a vital foundation for learning disciplines that can prepare children for work in the digital economy.

In a Q&A between Mr Street and Demis, students were able to ask questions on subjects ranging from his educational background to his insights on the progression of AI, what it means for the future of society, and challenges in the sector. He described how he was inspired, by an A-level maths teacher, to examine how to think and approach problems methodically, later putting this mantra to work in setting up DeepMind. Demis also explained how advances in research often came in the ‘gaps’ between subjects and applauded our Connected Curriculum and collaborate approach to learning for encouraging students to approach problems more creatively.

Demis said that “as a young chess player I learnt how to solve problems, how to make plans and devise strategies, and how to imagine and visualise possible futures. Playing the game at such a young age was an extremely formative experience and the transferable skills I honed through chess have continued to influence and inform all aspects of my life. That’s why I’m always very encouraging of children being taught chess as part of the school curriculum, and particularly proud to support the work of Chess in Schools and Communities. Demis added that “UCL Academy is only a stone’s throw from the comprehensive school I went to in Finchley and it was really rewarding to talk to local students, especially when they have such a brilliant understanding of the potential and pitfalls of AI.”

Robin Street, Co-Principal, said, “It is testament to the enthusiasm of Demis for chess that he is willing to take time out of his busy schedule to visit us at UCL Academy in support of Chess in Schools and Communities. The students will have learned a great deal from his insights into the complex world of AI and machine learning, including the applications of these innovations to different fields.” Malcolm Pein, Chief Executive of Chess in Schools and Communities, added, “Demis’ overview of his impressive career proved inspirational for UCL Academy’s cohort of A-level students and it was fascinating to listen to their ideas and concerns expressed through the questions they posed to Demis.

Academy News,Front Page News

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