Congratulations to our A Level Class of 2022

Staff and Governors at The UCL Academy could not be prouder of the achievements of this year’s A Level cohort. In spite of all the challenges of the past three years, so many of our students have achieved excellent grades across their subjects.

They have, as a result of their hard work and dedication, been rewarded with places at some of the country’s leading universities such as Imperial College London, King’s College London, London School of Economics, Queen Mary University of London and the Universities of Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Warwick and York.

They are moving onto an impressive range of courses in STEM, Humanities and the Arts. For example, Comparative Literature, English, Fine Art & Art History, Economics, Environmental science, History, Law, Philosophy, Aerospace Engineering, Engineering & Architectural Design, Medical Sciences, Neuroscience, Pharmacy, Computer Science and Mathematics.

We are particularly proud that currently 6 of our students have confirmed places to study at our Sponsor UCL, fulfilling the dreams they had when they first started at The UCL Academy.

Co-Principals Robin Street and Simon McBride said “Students have done so well to achieve these results and move onto these exciting courses. They worked through their A Level courses during a period of much higher uncertainty than usual and showed determination and resilience that will stand them in really good stead for their future lives. We wish them every success.” 

As always, we are delighted with the performance of all our students and they will be proud of what they have accomplished. A few highlights below:

Nayeeb Choudhury

Having achieved a fantastic set of results; 4 A*s in Economics, Maths, Further Maths and Politics, Nayeeb is one of the Academy’s highest achievers this year. Nayeeb wished to thank the Maths department for their support in achieving his desired results, stating “my teachers helped at every step along the way”. Nayeeb is looking forward to taking his place at LSE to study Economics.

Nora Salam

Nora joined the Academy’s Sixth Form in September 2020. With an A* in History and 2 A’s in Psychology and English Literature, Nora has secured her place at University of Edinburgh to study History. Nora spoke about her passion for history and her gratitude for the support she received from the Academy throughout her time in Sixth Form, stating that ‘they cared a lot and always helped prepare for exams’.

Ali Sam Nateghian 

Ali-Sam, our Head Boy, was thrilled to achieve his results; 2 A*’s in Economics and Maths plus 2 A’s in Biology and Chemistry. Ali-Sam praised the teachers who worked hard to help him reach his potential and secure his place in September at University of Warwick studying Economics.

Mohammad Eghbal Sobhani 

With 3 A’s in Biology, Chemistry and Maths, Mohammad has secured his place at King’s College to study Neuroscience. Mohammed spoke empathetically about the pastoral support he received, both emotionally and mentally, and the willingness of the teachers to help with his exams preparation when needed, quoting that it has been “the best 2 years of my life!”.

Hana Molokhia

Hana achieved superb results of 3 A*’s in Engineering, Maths and Further Maths plus an A in Physics. Hana will be attending our Sponsor UCL in September to study Engineering and Architectural Design. Coming in as a new student to Sixth Form in 2020, Hana warmly talked about how welcomed and supported she felt, and the motivation her teachers provided. Hana said “my teachers pushed me in my studies and to stay in Further Maths, I wouldn’t have got the grades without them”.

Olti Llapashtica 

Olti has been a student at the Academy since Year 7 (Foundation). He achieved a wonderful set of results; 2 A*’s in Economics and Maths plus an A in Politics which granted him a place at University of Warwick to study Economics. Olti found the helpfulness of all departments and the learning environment pivotal to his success and is grateful that staff pushed him to achieve his best. Olti’s main learning point from undertaking his A levels was that “hard work pays off”.

Ylli Nici 

A student at The UCL Academy since Year 8 (Level 1), Ylli excelled in his 4 chosen subjects, achieving 3 A*’s in Economics, Maths and Further Maths plus an A in Physics. Ylli is excited to continue his studies in Maths at Imperial College London. Ylli spoke about the quality and consistency of his education at the Academy, which supported him in achieving his results, concluding that “consistency is king!”.

Artist-in-Residence Workshops Summer 2022

Key stage 3 students were thrilled to take part in an opportunity to work with contemporary artist Alexander de Cadenet this half term as part of a three-day Artist in Residency programme arranged in conjunction with AiR. 

Artistic practices were explained, with students learning how inspiration can come from a variety of sources. Alexander de Cadenet spoke about how meditation and reflection are key to his art practice and encouraged students to reflect on the minutiae of what they see and hear around them. Students listened to a film of blackbird song and contemplated the idea of portals before commencing with a range of experimental works. Students had access to a range of diverse materials, including coffee filters, food dye, and spray bottles; highlighting the way that art can be made without access to traditional and often expensive art materials.

Further inspiration was gleaned from a presentation of the kinetic sculptures of Alexander Calder. Students then worked collaboratively, using the components made in earlier workshops, to create a moving sculpture of their own; generating an installation where space and the flow of air became part of the work.

Working directly with an artist gave students first-hand experience of how an artist thinks about their work. Students embraced the cycle of inspiration, experimentation and reflection, embracing both control and risk-taking. More than simply an exercise in creativity, the workshops also enabled students to show the learning attributes of resilience and collaboration.

The final artworks are beautiful, displaying an array of mark-making, colour and compositional choices. They lend themselves to both careful scrutiny and at-a-glance appreciation. The dream-like quality of the outcomes are reminiscent of the work of Joan Miro and El-Anutsui. The 96 students involved should be very proud of themselves and the excellent work they have created which is currently on display in the Art Room.

International Evening and Parent Summer Party!

On Wednesday 6th July, our amazing Academy community came together to celebrate culture, cuisine and conversation at our International Evening. What a fantastic event and evidence of the amazing strength that a community can have when they work together. Under the guidance and organisation of Miss Cannoli, we were inundated and overwhelmed by the support we received from families and students. You cooked amazing dishes from Kosova, Somalia, France, Ukraine, Slovakia, Mauritius, South Africa, Congo, Korea, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Hungary, The Philippines, America, Japan, Morocco, Bangladesh, Austria, Syria, Nigeria and many more! It was an absolute treat to the senses. Students (and Mr Hillage!) provided some wonderful entertainment too, so a huge THANK YOU to all of our parents who cooked, to those who came and to all the staff who supported us!

See you next year!

UCL Drama Students Collaborate with the Donmar Warehouse on ‘Take the Stage’ Project

Our partnership with the Donmar Warehouse, a not for profit theatre in London continues to be a particular favourite amongst our students, especially those with an interest in Drama.

Most recently, our Level 2 Drama students worked in close partnership with Donmar facilitator, Jordana Goldbourne, contributing to a piece entitled ‘Fight, Flight or Fight’, part of a project entitled ‘Take the Stage’ which began in late November 2021 and culminated in a performance at the end of January this year. Students worked closely with Jordana in weekly workshops at the Academy and were initially introduced to the play ‘Force Majeure’ starring Rory Kinnear, from which the main theme for the following workshops was loosely based upon.

Prominent questions arising from ‘Force Majeure’ included: 

What would you do when faced with a disaster? 

Would you stay or flee?

The Donmar Warehouse very kindly allowed our students, accompanied by Mr Maculkin and Ms Verity, to attend an evening performance of the play.

During the workshops, Level 2 students proactively collaborated, passionately discussing the many complex and sensitive themes anchored within these questions. Tasked with producing some ‘free writing’ based on these themes, they drew upon a spectrum of life experiences; some personal, some family, others of friends and/or strangers. This prompted many deeply thought provoking conversations from which they constructed their response; a shared decision to focus on the ideas of Fight, Flight or Fight.

Over the course of the project, particular attention was also paid to the techniques involved in producing such a piece: research; establishing the aims and objectives; genre, style and form; and structure, to name but a few.

The end product is a wonderfully evocative piece of writing that guides us through the landscape of the contemporary world, as seen through the eyes of a generation facing challenges not of their own making. Touching on so many current social, political and environmental themes, the piece undoubtedly resonates with every one of us on some level, if not many.

Upon finishing, our students’ hard work and dedication received the ultimate commendation when specific extracts were chosen and embedded in the performance ‘Take the Stage’. Seeing their contribution come to life was a truly wonderful achievement. 

Huge congratulations to all you Level 2 Drama creatives who made this happen! 

Please scroll down to read the piece in full:

Art Students Barbican Conservatory Workshop

Level 2 GCSE Art students visited the Barbican Conservatory, in the heart of the City of London on Friday 21st January, to take part in a workshop with the current Artist in Residence, Sam Winston. Sam Winston’s artistic practice often combines visual culture and literature and he has exhibited his work in museums and galleries around the world. Tate Britain, the British Library and MoMA NYC hold his artist’s books and his projects have taken place at institutes such as The V&A Museum, The Courtauld Institute of Art and The Whitechapel Gallery. For this project, ‘following the breath’, Winston investigated the relationship between the urban environment and our breath.

Students were first introduced to the maze that is The Barbican, with its homes, galleries and music and theatre venues. Sam Winston worked with the students, explaining his artistic process and guiding students in some mark-making exercises. Students then explored the conservatory itself, with its lush vegetation and moving water, before viewing the work that Winston had made during the residency and a video illuminating the concept behind the work. 

Students learned about the process of making ink from the particles that surround us, with sources as diverse as aquatic plants, engine fumes, plant soil, tree bark, cigarette butts and wasp nests. For the exhibition, Winston created artwork using inks he made from particulate matter collected within a 3 km radius of the Barbican.
The mark-making created by our students will be displayed with other student work at the Barbican as a response to the Artists’ prompts, and alongside Sam Winston’s own work. 

More information can be found on the Barbican Website:
https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2022/event/following-the-breath

And on Sam Winston’s website:
https://www.samwinston.com/

UCL Academy Students Invited to Screening of Racism in Football Drama

The children’s TV series ‘Jamie Johnson’ is well known for not shying away from important topics and since it was first broadcast in 2016, has tackled compelling storylines centred on bullying, sexism, cheating, blackmail, relationships, diabetes, homelessness, multiple sclerosis, racism, crime and homophobia.

We need look no further than the game of football to know that racism is an ongoing societal problem; Members of the Mens’ England Football team were recently subjected to overt racist abuse during one of their games in the European Cup competition. And sadly, this abuse transcends all areas of the football world, proving that racism is both present and alarmingly pervasive.

The writers behind ‘Jamie Johnson’ have used these poignant events to promote awareness, specifically amongst the children that watch the series. A recent storyline centres on one of the main characters, Freddie 500, and the fact he is racially abused by opposition fans during a cup tie. Facing the same dilemma as the England team during their European Cup game, the fictional football club and it’s players have to decide whether to continue playing or to abandon the game. Scenes from one of the two episodes show the players in the dressing room, discussing what each believes is the appropriate response. What becomes quickly apparent are the differing thoughts and reactions amongst the players, which ultimately make a unified response difficult and team camaraderie vulnerable. 

By using the awareness and momentum gathered by media coverage on the England Team, the writers have cemented this storyline as a poignant and timely reminder; not just of overt racism and its many guises, but the many complexities that can and do arise for those involved, both individually and collectively.

20 of our students were lucky enough to attend a special preview screening, alongside Mr Robin Street (Co-Principal), Ms Cosima Davies (Assistant Principal) and Ms Katrina Potter (Head of PE). After the screening, UCL students asked a series of considered and thought provoking questions to a panel, comprising; Lianne Sanderson (former England international and broadcaster and recent visitor to the Academy), Troy Townsend (head of player engagement at Kick It Out), Keaton Edmund (the young actor who plays Freddie 500), Iffy Onuora (head of diversity and inclusion at the Premier League) and Edleen John (international relations, corporate affairs and equality, diversity and inclusion director at the FA).

Yet more exposure for ‘Jamie Johnson’ came in the form of a news feature on BBC Newsround, which included the incredibly thoughtful and interesting contributions our students made to questions and discussions at the event. Suffice to say, we’ve immense pride in the way every one of them showed the utmost respect and consideration throughout the day.

These episodes of  ‘Jamie Johnson’ teach us that popular culture can indeed have a positive role in illuminating and helping to combat racism. And that whenever possible, we should embrace every opportunity to subvert the negative events that remain a part of everyday life for many children and adults alike.

Over the past 18 months, Academy staff, spearheaded by Ms Cosima Davies, have been leading work across Camden Primary and Secondary schools in developing anti-racism policies, building curriculum content and training teachers and support staff. The experience for our staff and students on this visit builds on this vital work and we are grateful to the team from ‘Jamie Johnson’ and of course the BBC for giving our students the opportunity and the platform to share their thoughts and to be part of such an important panel discussion.

Female Football Icon visits the Academy

Just before the half term break, some of our female football team and other football enthusiasts were lucky enough to take part in a coaching and Q&A session with former Arsenal, Chelsea and England forward, Lianne Sanderson. Lianne’s illustrious football career makes her one of the most successful female footballers in the professional era of the sport and as such, this was an exciting addition to our sports programme. Curated by our Sports Development Officer at the Academy, David Kingston, the programme offers many different opportunities to students, one of them being to meet, be coached and hear personal accounts of athletes, with the aim of inspiring and motivating them to achieve their goals. Suffice to say, this session scored on all fronts!

The day began with a coaching session; students were put through their paces with passing drills and possession work after which they played a match, with Lianne guiding them from the sidelines. Throughout the morning, the girls displayed their passion and adeptness for the game, as individuals and as part of a team; all the more impressive considering they were being watched by a football icon!

The Q&A marked the latter part of the session with Lianne. Students’ had clearly prepared for this and delivered a stream of thought provoking questions on a variety of themes. Discussions were had about the many facets of a career in sports, notably, the importance of working in a team, exactly what is needed to perform at the highest level and the myriad of career paths available to those with an interest in sports, one of those being coaching. 

Equally important, Lianne spoke about the career paths available after retirement from the game and the widely acknowledged differences between the male and female football worlds. Overall, the girls were given a much better understanding of the dedication, consistency and sacrifice they will need to make should they pursue a career in sport.

Let’s not forget, some sports stars’ stories aren’t all about playing for their county or country, they’re equally about overcoming adversity in the pursuit of a dream. Lianne spoke about her own personal journey, recalling how injuries and being told she ‘would never make it in football’ spurred her on, and ultimately made her success all the more rewarding.  

Giving our students tangible links to personalities they can relate to, who have achieved great things irrespective of their backgrounds or experiences is equally as important as recognising the appearances, caps for country and medals that some realise in their careers.

As time with Lianne eventually ran out, it was clear the day had been a resounding success. It’s these experiences that can leave ​​indelible marks on young lives, and having seen the reaction of many of our students, this was definitely one of those moments.

Team Update:

Our newly established girls’ football team is currently playing friendlies in preparation for entering a league competition in the very near future. Going on the current teams’ talent, dedication and level of interest, they’ve a bright future ahead of them. Watch this space!

To view the upcoming fixtures list, go to: https://uclacademy.co.uk/sport-at-the-academy/fixtures/, and to keep up to date with their progress and other sports at the Academy, follow the @UCL_PE twitter account.

Record number of students take part

in DofE Award

The surge of interest in the Duke of Edinburgh Award (DofE) over the last few years has been remarkable, resulting its uptake being the largest of any school in our Local Authority and even more exciting in light of the goal set by the DofE Award for the next 5 years:

‘to give more than one million young people the chance to participate in the programme, while ensuring that the scheme is open to all young people and that participants reflect the most diverse generation of young people ever’.

To date, over two hundred UCL Academy students have participated in the scheme since it was first offered in 2013. Last years’ cohort included 14 students working towards their Bronze award and 30 students towards their Silver, and going on the applications received for this years’ intake, those numbers will significantly rise. 

The most recent expeditions by some of our Year 9 and Year 11 students took place at the Lambourne End Centre in Essex in late September (18th-19th) and early October (1st-3rd) respectively. It would be fair to say, the weather didn’t make the weekend any easier for the 30 students on their Silver Expedition. Hiking and navigating for 7 hours a day, pitching their tents and cooking, all under a sky of torrential rain. But these students are made of hardy stuff, gritty determination and resilience prevailed and resulted in 27 Silver awards being achieved, alongside an equally impressive haul of 13 Bronze awards for Year 9 students. In spite of the adversities, it was truly wonderful to see everyone back in the field again…not to mention the notable air of excitement throughout the entire camp. Congratulations to all those who gained new award status!

We are also extremely proud to announce that our former Head Boy, Sonal Jayasena has just been awarded the Gold award, making him our second student to achieve at the highest level. Sonal is one of many former students who continue their DofE award path through and with the help of the Academy.

The DofE is just one part of our Enrichment Programme at the Academy, bursting with unique opportunities that seek to cultivate a love of learning, stretch minds and raise aspirations. Alongside the ongoing support of our sponsor UCL and the collaboration between our two institutions, the DofE scheme affords yet another level of prestige to our programme. As a highly respected and longstanding scheme, it offers students an even greater opportunity to augment personal development through an exciting range of challenges that might not otherwise be available to them. The benefits of taking part in this scheme are endless, but life skills that transcend those learned in the classroom might be a good way to describe what the scheme instils and equips young people with. It comes as no surprise that the scheme is highly respected by Universities and employers, who all commend and recognise the transferable skills the scheme offers.

More students than ever before participated in the scheme during the last 18 months, so we are both fortunate and extremely thankful that the Pupil Premium Scheme, Sixth Form Bursaries and philanthropic funding from Elizabeth Critchley made the DofE attainable to all our students. Furthermore, this funding ensures that our participation in the scheme helps to uphold the desire of the DofE organisation, ‘to make the scheme open to all young people’. 

We very much look forward to welcoming new and returning students to the scheme this year.

Congratulations to all our A Level students, after another unique year.

Students’ resilience and determination over the last year is once again reflected in the excellent results across all subjects. The Academy is intensely proud of this year’s magnificent graduates and celebrates what has unarguably been a testing 2 years for students, teachers and parents alike.

Year on year, many of our students gain places at Russell Group universities, but this year, we are particularly proud to have a record number of our students continuing their studies at our sponsor university, UCL.

Huge congratulations to all those who have achieved their goals, our students will always be part of the UCL Academy family and we very much look forward to seeing where your hard work and commitment takes you in the future.

Robin Street and Simon McBride Co-Principals of the Academy said “Days like today must always be about celebrating and recognising the commitment, positivity and successes of individual students. We are, as always, absolutely delighted that so many of our students have confirmed places on their chosen university courses. Ensuring that every student receives the recognition they each deserve remains our absolute priority. Seeing our students celebrate each other’s successes as much as their own was particularly special. Hearing from students that they would be back soon to visit and would keep in touch with staff here, is testament to the wonderful relationships they have built and the community values of the Academy. 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:

Vladut Iacob, the Academy’s very own Head Boy achieved a superb set of results; A*s in Mathematics and Physics and an A in Art. He is now looking forward to taking up his place at UCL to study Architecture. Vladut said being Head Boy taught him the skills he needed to balance his academic and personal life, as well as allowing him to represent and help other students along the way. Most importantly, he said “the last 2 years were the most meaningful of my life so far”.

Riana Rahman (Head Girl) – After achieving an A* in Art, Riana has secured a place at Central St Martins to study for a Foundation degree in Art & Design, after which she will specialise in her chosen field. Riana joined the Academy in Year 7 and spoke about the real and tangible sense of community at the Academy. In her words, “it propelled me to be a better person and student”.

Patrick Wol-Carty has been a student at the Academy since Year 7. He achieved a wonderful set of results; 1 A* in Geography and 2 As in History and Politics. Patrick said “stand out elements of studying at the Academy have been the amazing pastoral support and the familial like environment”.  Patrick has secured a place at Oxford University to study Law.

Tasnima Rahim – With 2 A*s in History and Biology and an A in Chemistry, Tasnima has secured her place to study Archaeology at UCL. She spoke emphatically about the quality of education at the Academy, specifically the mentoring system and the teaching staff in the  Biology department.

Ryan McEvoy – With 3 A*s in Maths, Further Mathematics and Music Technology, Ryan is one of our many students continuing their studies at UCL, in his case, Mathematics.  Ryan thanked all departments he studied under, saying “the dynamic between teachers and students was amazing” and allowed him to achieve the best possible results.

Isman Nageye – Also a student at the academy since Year 7, Isman is thrilled to have secured a place to study Medicine at Southampton. Isman was awarded 2 A*s in Chemistry and Mathematics and an A in Biology. He found the working environment at the Academy to be pivotal to his success, specifically the helpfulness of staff and the superstudios in which he spent many hours.

Carine Rassam has also been a student at the Academy since Year 7. Having achieved 2 A*s in Biology and Chemistry and a D1 in Mandarin, she is one of the Academys’ highest achievers. Carine spoke about the importance of the teaching at the Academy, saying it “ensured she expanded her knowledge beyond the curriculum”, allowing her to fall in love with her subjects and study on a higher level.

Heidi Malaj – One of our Critchley Scholars excelled in her 3 chosen subjects, achieving A*s in English and Geography and an A in History. Heidi is another one of our high achieving students whose journey began at the Academy in Year 7. She is also one of the many students going on to study at UCL (Law). Heidi attributes her success to hard work on her part, but strongly believes the diversity of the curriculum at the Academy is what allowed her to extend her learning and attain her ultimate goals.