Debate Mate Cup – Wednesday 24th April

24th April 2019webadmin webadmin

Debate Mate Cup

On Wednesday 24th April, seven students (Lina Abdulrazzaq, Kelcie Mason, Sasha Mensah-Barnes, Younes Chanij, Rishi Mahtani, Anwar Ukurow, and Ibrahim El Hallili) braved the third and final competition of the year: the whole-day Debate Mate Cup, hosted at London Metropolitan University. The students were faced with tough motions and tough opposition: by the luck of the draw our team of Foundation and Level 1 students were matched with teams of primarily Year 10 students. In the first round they debated in favour of introducing a carbon tax in order to tackle climate change, making a passionate plea for the planet – but they narrowly lost the round to Oasis Academy Shirley Park. In the second round they tried to convince the opposition of the merits of introducing a three-day weekend, but Hornsey School for Girls were able to make more varied and well-explained points. The team effort and mutual support in our group of Academy debaters was fantastic though, and they still went into the third round with high spirits. Rightly so – for in the final round they argued against the motion that only violent crimes should warrant a prison sentence and out-debated the excellent team from London Academy.

The Academy’s team was also generously supportive to their chaperone who was “volunteered” to be part of the show debate. Sadly Ms Philipp and the two debating champions on her team were unable to convince the crowd that students should be allowed to vote for their head teachers. At the end of the day the team left with a real sense of accomplishment and a £10 Nando’s voucher. Sasha and Rishi won the “best boomerang” competition on Instagram with a card trick! 

Looking back: It was almost six months ago that a few representatives of the Academy’s Debate Club walked through Westminster in the rain to attend the official Debate Mate launch event in November. Since then our students have given the fine art of debating a thorough go: they learnt how to use PEEL (point, explain, evidence, link) effectively to convey an argument, how to rebut, how to strategically request points of information and how to defend either side of a motion. From the feedback they received from the judges at the last Debate Mate Cup, it was evident just how much progress they had made since their first competition at the end of January. A huge well done to all of the students!

 

Critchley Scholarship Visit to Royal Bank of Canada – Thursday 4th April

4th April 2019webadmin webadmin

Critchley Scholarship Visit to Royal Bank of Canada

On Thursday 4th April, a select group of 20 Level 2 and Level 2+ students, as part of the Critchley Scholarship Programme, were honoured and delighted to have a career visit to the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), located in the City. RBC’s key staff gave the students a very warm welcome and a chance to hear first-hand about the world of work and especially about the financial/investment banking sector. They met and held talks from various department within the bank such as the Head of European Investment Banking, VP from the Mining   Sector, Global Head of FX, Head of Branding & Marketing for Europe, Head of UK Credit Sale etc. Additionally, the students had a chance to see and experience the trading floor of this very successful international bank.

The key messages that the students took away from this visit were mainly about working hard, self-motivation, having the confidence to seize opportunity, and challenging stereotypes and expectations. There was another piece of advice about which Elizabeth and the RBC team were very passionate about – and that was the cultivation of networks/friends to support and empower in every step of their future careers. Many thanks to everyone at RBC for welcoming us and facilitating such a wonderful visit.

 

 

Jazz Night – Tuesday 2nd April

2nd April 2019webadmin webadmin

Jazz Night

On Tuesday 2nd April, the academy’s first ever Jazz Night took place! This highlighted the work of the Music  Department in  developing Jazz at the academy and featured a range of jazz performances from ragtime piano to cool jazz and big band.

The standard was incredibly high with not only ensemble performances but solos from both staff and students. The collaboration and mutual respect between all the performers and the warm support from the audience created a really special evening of music; a wonderful way to bring the term to a close. Huge thanks to the students who worked so hard to prepare for the event and to the Music Team of both school staff and instrumental tutors who have supported and guided the students over the years in developing their musical abilities.

 

 

STEAM Week Friday – Friday 8th March—Friday 15th March

15th March 2019webadmin webadmin

STEAM Week 2019

STEAM week seeks to provide students at the Academy with a broad and varied set of experiences beyond the classroom to further engage their creative, digital and scientific education. This year, teachers at the Academy organised over 3200 student STEAM encounters across 6 schools days. These included trips, visits, workshops, lectures and competitions. This was the first year that the Academy included the Arts in the programme. This represents the high value placed on the Arts perspectives and developing creative skills.

 

It was great to hear Professor Lucie Green reference her background training to become an Art Therapist before embarking on her physics degree – an amazing example of the blend of skills required for success, and the power of interdisciplinary learning. This year’s Star Gazing Party had students of all ages, parents and teachers fill the forum to hear Prof Lucie Green give a talk about our daytime star which was the source of her research.

 

 

 

Trips went out with students from Foundation to Level 2 to cultural institutions across London including ZSL, The Royal Observatory, The Science Museum and The Hayward Gallery. Workshops also took place looking on cyber security and coding languages. Engineering challenges included a Level 1 Make Do day where students had to create to a brief with only paper, card and self tapping screws!

While the UK economy has only grown 4.1% over the past 5 years, Camden employment in creative, digital and scientific careers has expanded by 34% (Camden STEAM commission report, 2017). We are passionate about ensuring our students have the opportunities to develop their skills and interests to prepare them for the future world of work. There were two separate events where students could meet with employers from STEAM professions – both events were designed to give students a personalised approach to careers education. The STEAM careers breakfast and a careers in Engineering evening. Students once again left with offers of work experience and internships and lots of inspiration for future career prospects.

Sarah York a Game Tester from Deep Mind had this to say to our students: “Well done, for participating in the speed networking event, your enthusiasm and ambition was apparent. Being able to put yourself out there and talk to professionals in the industry is a very useful skill to help you find work opportunities. The tech industry is a fast moving field, to increase your chances of employ-ability; make sure you are keeping up with the latest tech news in the area you are interested in. And try to motivate yourself to research and study alongside your classes. You will need to be able to self-direct your own studies when you get into the world of work. Such as, having to learn new tools on your own or learning a workflow of a company. Doing this now whilst in education is going to give you good practise, before you get into the industry. Find something you’re passionate about and put your all in and you will do great, good luck!”

Camden Secondary schools were challenged to enter 6th form students into a Titration competition. The competition was judged by UCL Chemistry Faculty’s Dr Victoria Hillborne. The competition was won by our very own L3 Gabriella Randall and Jimena Benedetto.

It is always wonderful to close the event with UCL Academy’s own Operating theatre live. Students were treated to the theatrical talents of the Science Faculty’s Rafael Alleyne and Tom Morgan. This interactive display saw a (willing!) student volunteer undergo complete  dissection as students learned about the systems of the body.

Student feedback about the week was incredibly positive with many students  recognising the huge efforts that their teachers put into organising the events. Thank you to all staff involved in the week both leading the events and supporting them to take place and to all the students who were so engaged throughout the week.

 

 

 

Level 1+ Justice Evening – Thursday 28th February

28th February 2019webadmin webadmin

Level 1+ Justice Evening

We are very proud of the wonderful speeches that our Level 1+ students gave last night (Thursday 28th February) at the Justice evening. This event, hosted by the humanities team, is a key part of our termly celebration of learning events that we hold at the Academy.


There were some brilliant speeches covering subjects including LGBTQ issues and some of the challenges and opportunities that this generation faces. Students have been working hard all term on these speeches as part of their unit on Justice and this truly came across in their compassionate, mature and wise presentations. Many thanks to all of the parents who came along to support them.

 

 

Critchley Scholarship Breakfast Meeting

1st February 2019webadmin webadmin

Critchley Scholarship Breakfast Meeting

A select group of 23 high achieving year L2 and L2+ girls had the amazing opportunity to attend a two hour breakfast meeting at Elizabeth Critchley’s home today (Friday 1st February). Elizabeth is a highly successful businesswoman, a Partner of Ripplewood Advisors Limited and the lady behind our wonderful Critchley Scholarship programme.

Ms Critchley gave the students a very warm welcome and a chance to hear first-hand about her upbringing and   professional experiences. She spoke about self-motivation and having the confidence to seize opportunities and challenge stereotypes and expectations. The message of not having a fear of failure and always asking for support was consistent throughout her speech.

This is the second cohort of students to be part of the programme and Elizabeth continues to inspire a generation of women  to think broadly and ambitiously about their long-term aims, goals ideas and opportunities. We are very grateful for her ongoing support and inspiration.

 

The UCL Academy Careers Fair – Thursday 24th January

24th January 2019webadmin webadmin

The UCL Academy Careers Fair – Thursday 24th January

We were delighted to hold our first ever Careers Fair last night (Thursday 24th January). Over 45 high profile organisations joined over 400 students and parents for what was a wonderful, inspiring evening.

 

The Academy’s Chair of Governors, Professor Lucie Green, opened the Fair, urging students to be open to new ideas and to think creatively about their future. With a range of organisations exhibiting, including The Francis Crick Institute, KPMG and the Academy’s sponsor, UCL, among many others, students were blown away by of the wonderful career opportunities that were open to them. Exhibitors were also very complimentary about the Academy students and the quality of dialogue and conversations that they had.

Mr Robin Street, Co-Principal, was thrilled with the number of students and parents that attended, saying that ‘it gave a real insight into the appetite and interest our student population has in broadening their horizons and thinking deeply about their futures’.

 

Guest Lecture by Tim Marshall, British Journalist, Author and Broadcaster

17th January 2019webadmin webadmin

Guest Lecture by Tim Marshall, British Journalist, Author and Broadcaster

We were delighted to welcome Tim Marshall, British journalist, author and broadcaster to the Academy for a guest lecture. We were treated to an engaging, thought provoking, and humorous talk about the current global climate of wall building and division which sparked a lively Q&A session at the end. Many thanks to Tim Marshall for taking the time to visit us!

The UCL Academy Winter Concert

17th December 2018webadmin webadmin

The UCL Academy Winter Concert

 

We were absolutely delighted to welcome so many parents to our wonderful Winter Concert last night (Wednesday 17th December). The standard of performance was the highest we have ever seen and the students didn’t shy away from choosing some very demanding pieces.

 

 

 

Huge congratulations and thanks to the staff, students and parents who supported the concert. It was a fabulous showcase of the talents of our students and a testament to their hard work throughout the term.

The UCL Academy Autumn Celebration of Learning

6th December 2018webadmin webadmin

The UCL Academy Autumn Celebration of Learning

Last night’s (Thursday 6th December) Celebration of Learning was a huge success and it was wonderful to welcome so many parents to the evening. Students were thrilled to get the opportunity to showcase this terms work and perform ballet, cheer-leading and puppetry amongst other wonderful things for parents. The opportunity of a real audience for student work adds a crucial dimension to driving standards as well as giving student ownership and pride in their work.

For many of our students this will have been an unforgettable opportunity to showcase their learning and explain the thinking behind it to parents, students and Academy staff. Many thanks for your support for the event and we look forward to the next Celebration of Learning in the Spring Term.