Opportunities Aplenty for Students During Remote Learning 

In March 2020, we wrote an article about the positive role of technology in education at the Academy (https://uclacademy.co.uk/level-2-students-embrace-technology-as-a-learning-tool/). Nearly one year on, we have even more reason to celebrate the unique opportunities that technology and our remote learning programmes have given our students.

SDL (Self Directed Learning)

As many of you will already know, one of the key points of difference at the Academy is the SDL programme (Student Directed Learning), integral to our sponsor’s vision of ‘Educating the Whole Person’. At the heart of this enrichment programme is the aim to encourage students to develop a balance of heart, body, mind and spirit through participation in a host of varied activities. Over the years, this programme has gained momentum and has unarguably never been as important as it is now. Currently leading the SDL programme at the Academy is Ms Ayan Abdi, who over recent months has experienced first hand the ever increasing relevance and popularity of this particular part of the curriculum. 

In a typical week, students are expected to attend 1-3 SDLs, a mixture of streamed and unstreamed sessions. Each unstreamed session is 50 minutes long, the first 10 minutes of which involves a private chat between teacher and student. As well as providing much needed verbal communication, these 10 minutes give students precious one to one time to discuss anything they wish. Ms Abdi said she ‘strongly believes these one to one chats are vital for remote education’ – the so-called ‘new normal’ for students currently studying from home.

The range of SDLs evolve with every new Academy term and aims to reflect constantly changing influences and the wider environment. There are currently 36 SDLs for this term, including Dungeons and Dragons, All about Korea, Pet Club, 5D Diamond Painting, Eco Engineering, Illustration and Chess Club, to name but a few. All about Korea and Dungeons and Dragons are both student-led SDLs, in which student leaders assign tasks and roles, in addition to carrying out team work with the larger group. As would be expected, these sessions are carefully monitored by teachers, but they are ultimately directed by students and as a result, inspire free-thinking, individuality and collaboration. Moreover, they encourage students to take responsibility regarding their own learning path.

Screenshot taken from Pet Club, 5D Diamond Painting and an example of Student work from Illustrate.

Many of these SDLs were created with the intention of being taught on site at the beginning of the current term. However, due to the ever changing landscape of education, both then and now, the entire programme has moved online. The fact that all sessions were able to resume on the first day of term is due in no small measure to the dedication and dexterity of Ms Abdi and the other programme teaching staff.

Careers Programme

Another way in which Academy students are being offered unique opportunities in spite of the lockdown is via our dedicated Careers Programme, curated by Mrs Laura Manning and implemented alongside Mrs Eranda Aliu. This is an expansive programme, comprising University/College Open Days, Subject/Interest Specific Events, Careers and Work Experience Opportunities and General Information/Guidance. Over the course of these timetabled sessions, Academy students develop the knowledge and skills they need to make successful career choices and manage transitions in their learning.

In addition to the aforementioned role, Mrs Aliu is also the UCL Links Coordinator, a position which involves working in close partnership with our sponsor, the UCL University. Every year, among other activities, she coordinates and manages the running of the UCL Guest Lecture Series; these lectures are given by UCL academics and are addressed specifically to our Sixth Form students. Due to the recent lock-down and these being held virtually, the lectures are also now open to the KS4 group of students (GCSE students) and especially those interested at studying at UCL in the future.

A recent event from this series was a live lecture with the Biochemical Engineering team at UCL (see image). Dr Rana Khalife, Senior Research Fellow at UCL gave a lecture entitled ‘Introduction to Biochemical Engineering’, illustrating perfectly the ongoing support we are so privileged to have from our sponsor.

Live Lecture – ‘Introduction to Biochemical Engineering’ – October 2020

Since the beginning of 2021 and in the exact circumstances thrust upon the SDL programme, the entire Career programme is now online. However, this has certainly not impeded students and parents from having access to an equally varied and full calendar of events. From webinars such as Sustainable Cities (Joey Aoun, Environmental Designer) and Help with applying to Medical School’, to Diversity & Inclusion in Careers: Parent Event with IBM, HSBC & Co-op, the information is broad and diverse, giving every student and parent the tools they need to make well informed decisions.

Alongside lectures/webinars, work experience is a fundamental and compulsory feature of the programme and student life at the Academy. You wouldn’t be wrong for assuming that work experience might be difficult to arrange under the current lockdown. Be that as it may, Mrs Manning has endeavoured to provide access to all remote opportunities, including work experience. One such example being a placement at The Francis Crick Institute – a world leading biomedical research organisation investigating human disease. If successful with their application, budding scientists from the Academy have the chance to meet professionals in the field and to explore the cutting-edge work of the institute, a thrilling opportunity to say the least.

Since 2018, The Critchley Scholarship has been part of the Academy Career programme. Via a series of talks and visits, female students are encouraged to be ambitious, confident and successful in their studies and future. Those fortunate enough to be awarded this scholarship receive support and mentoring from Elizabeth Critchley, a successful businesswoman and a Partner of Ripplewood Advisors Limited. In October 2020, via a live link, the latest awardees of this scholarship were announced (see image). Aside from visits, the scholarship programme is still very much active and available as a resource to students during lockdown. Furthermore, Josh Critchley has now added his support to the school with the pilot programme “Investing in Futures”. The programme will support up to fifteen Level 2 students to learn about the Financial Services Industry and give them tangible support to develop their Maths knowledge outside of the classroom. 

Elizabeth Critchley Scholarship Award Event – December 2020

These are just a few examples of the plethora of remote/online opportunities available during this period, giving only a small overview of the diversity and comprehensiveness of the SDL and Academy Career programmes.

Remote learning in general has not only given our students opportunities to grasp, share and present their work in different ways, it has encouraged them to take more ownership of their individual learning paths. In the future, many people may well continue to associate remote learning with lockdowns. Irrespective of this, our aim is to ensure the varied and abundant learning opportunities available before this period exist now and when onsite learning resumes.

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.

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”. 

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.

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

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

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!

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.