Academic Enrichment

To help to instil a lifelong love of learning, we enrich the curriculum at St. Helen’s College in many ways.

All children enjoy termly day trips to castles, museums, gardens, educational centres and theatres. The older children (from Year 3 onwards) attend residential trips to PACCAR Scout Camp, to Flatford Mill field study centre, to Little Canada on the Isle of Wight to study coastal erosion and for adventurous outdoor activities, and to Château de la Baudonniere in Normandy for a week of immersion in French language and culture.

Specialist tutors and speakers visit the school to provide workshops, activities and presentations, and Focus Days/Weeks allow individual subjects to be pursued in depth. Our annual STEAM Day gives pupils the opportunity to take part in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths workshops outside of the classroom, run by staff, parents and visiting specialists.

In addition, children are given many opportunities to develop their confidence in public speaking and performance, including regular class assemblies, theatrical productions and our annual Speech/Poetry Recitals and Singing Competitions.

News

Posted on: 26/05/2023

Weekly News - Friday 26th May 2023

Year 6 Residential Trip to Chateau De La Baudonniere, France Our Year 6 classes have had a wonderful week in Normandy staying at the Chateau De La Baudonniere. After a good ferry crossing and coach transfer, they soon settled into their immersive week of French. They have enjoyed meeting their pen pals, visiting a local market and creperie, taking a trip to Mont St Michel and undertaking all sorts of fun activities at the Chateau itself. They return tired and happy today! With the Year 6 children away, our Year 5 pupils have had a taste of what it will be like next year to be the oldest classes in the school. They rose to the challenge admirably, setting a great example for the younger children. Year 4 Residential Trip To Flatford Mill, Suffolk Our Year 4 children spent Wednesday, Thursday and Friday on their residential trip to the beautiful Flatford Mill in Constable Country. They undertook geographical and artistic studies, spent plenty of time with nature and certainly developed their independence and cemented their friendships. JTA Trip To The Oval, Kennington On Monday, our eager Junior Travel Ambassadors travelled by tube to Oval in Kennington to attend the TfL STARS Top School Awards. The day included two interactive sessions that aimed to celebrate and inspire students. In the first session, "Ambassadors for Change", the children were asked to create a poem that would influence parents and students to choose active travel and to campaign for changes to our local streets. They explored the language and techniques of poetry and how to use their voices and words to communicate with their community on sustainability. The second session focused on "Planning your World" and the children were challenged to become urban designers. They designed a street that met the needs of different people and vehicles, that was safe, improved air quality and encouraged and supported local wildlife. The St. Helen's College JTAs got really involved in these sessions and produced some great ideas. The most exciting part of the day was the awards ceremony and St. Helen's College won the TfL Top Influencers Award for the West London region which is a huge achievement.  Many congratulations to the JTAs for their hard work and commitment. Wrens Class Assembly Thursday saw the Wrens Nursery class perform their final class assembly of the year to a group of excited parents and staff. The children told us the story of 'Billy No Buzz', a bee who was rejected by the other mini-beasts because he was different. In the end, the animals learned to accept Billy for who he was and understood the importance of respecting each other's differences and of offering friendship. Watching the children it was hard to believe that they are just three and four years old. They spoke lines with confidence and from memory, sang loudly and tunefully and even performed many actions along the way. This was a colourful, uplifting assembly and was very much enjoyed by all who watched. Well done Wrens and a special thank you to Rylo S who stepped in at the last minute to take on the role of Billy No Buzz due to a friend's illness. What an amazing thing to be able to do at such a young age! Bikeability Before setting off for France, the Year 6 children had their final Bikeability session last Saturday. Bikeability is the government’s national cycle training programme which helps children learn practical skills and understand how to cycle on today’s roads.  Bikeability cycle training equips children with vital life skills. Pupils not only learn to cycle, they gain independence, social skills and a sense of wellbeing. After Bikeability, children are better at responding to risk and report increased confidence. As a result, more children cycle to school which in turn improves mental health and wellbeing. Well done to the children who completed their cycle training! Calendar Reminders Next week is half term and we wish you all a happy break! Please encourage your children to rest and recharge ahead of what will be a very busy second half of term. On Tuesday 6th June, all classes from Ducklings to Year 6 will be having their class photographs taken. Children should all be in full, smart summer uniform with long hair neatly braided/tied back please. On Wednesday 7th June at 6.30 p.m. there will be a senior school transfer evening for Year 5 parents in the Evans Hall.  Pre-Prep Sports Day will take place on Thursday 8th June in Court Park. Year 1 and 2 classes will have their Sports Day in the morning with Nursery and Reception taking part in the afternoon. Full details will be sent by class teachers. Our Singers' Concert will be on Monday 12th June at 7.00 p.m. at All Saints Church. We hope many of you will be able to join us for the evening. The Kingfishers coffee morning and class assembly will take place on Thursday 15th June in the Lower School Hall. Also on Thursday 15th June we have a Year 3 - 6 author visit. Details were circulated last week and are copied below. Don't forget to pre-order your child's book for signing if you would like to buy a copy. Author Visit On Thursday 15th June, author Nazneen Ahmed Pathak will be visiting us to speak to the children in Years 3-6 about her book City of Stolen Magic and to answer their questions about being an author and the writing process. We are sure this will be very inspiring for our children. There will also be an opportunity for the children to buy a signed copy of City of Stolen Magic. If you would like to pre-order a copy of the book ready to be signed and dedicated at school on the day, please click the link below and place your order through Chiltern Bookshops by 5 p.m. on Wednesday 14th June. Please note that only books purchased through this link will be signed and dedicated on the day. All orders will be delivered free to St. Helen's College. https://schools.chilternbookshops.co.uk/events/nazneen-ahmed-pathak-15th-june/  News From The Library It has been a busy half term in the library. It was great to see four children in Year 3 being awarded with a variety of reading challenges in assembly today; Aria and Avleen (3M) and Dhani and Reyan (3B) had their impressive reading achievements recognised with 5 points for their houses. Their awards recognise the very positive attitudes to reading they are developing, consistently reading from a range of styles and authors. Well done Year 3! Hillingdon boasts excellent libraries in convenient locations, all with comfortable children's areas, welcoming all ages. Complete with cafes and magazines available for the grown ups it's an excellent choice for half term!  Enjoying time in a library helps children learn the independent skills of browsing and exploring, as well as provide an opportunity to choose and discuss books with each other.  For more info on finding your library and to discover the online services too click here. At this time of year our School Library is starting to plan for the next injection of fresh books. Please would all parents - especially in Year 6 - assist by being aware of books that may have been overlooked at home or even in the depths of school bags! A growing number are mislaid or damaged each term which need to be replaced. We would obviously prefer to add additional books to the library rather than replacements, and so a charge may need to be made in some circumstances.  Message From The PA - Summer Fete It’s that time of year when the PA are busy with “all hands on deck” preparations for our flagship event, the PA Summer Fete. We would like to ask you to save the date: Date: Saturday 24 June 2023 Time: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.  Where: Upper School playground One of the aims of the PA is to encourage community, friendship and fun for our children, parents and guardians and the wider St. Helen's College family. Over the years, the school fete has been a great event where the school community has come together by bringing their ideas, giving their time and providing much enthusiasm. You will have received information from your class rep about the stall that your class will be running this year and the donation that we would really be grateful for from your class. You will also have a link to the rota so that you can sign up to help run your class stall - we cannot run the stalls without the help of parents. We rely on parents' help for the fete, so please let us know if you can lend a hand with other things like the set up in the morning (we'll be starting at about 8 a.m.). Even half an hour to help with set up would be greatly appreciated.  We would love to have you on board.     We would also be really grateful for donations of the following (NO BOOKS PLEASE) New, nearly new or good condition toys including teddies - for the teddy / toy tombola Good condition used / new school uniform – for the uniform stall New items or unwanted gifts - for the tombola Cakes, pastries and biscuits - for the cake stall If you work for a company who might like to donate anything to the fete please let us know. Fete collection bins will be put out at the entrances and exits on all three school premises after half term (Ducklings, Lower School and Upper School) for you to bring your donations, so please have a good sort out over half term. We will empty the collection bins on a daily basis.   We run a tuck shop where we sell drinks, popcorn, sweets, ice pops and crisps. If you own a shop or can get reduced/discounted rates, we’d love to hear from you! If you have any ideas or suggestion for the fete, we’d love to hear from you and embrace these. We can only put this event on with your help so please do get in touch.  It's an event that is really enjoyed by the children and the whole St. Helen's College community. Contact us at pa@sthelenscollege.com Thank you in advance for all of your help and support to make this year's fete a really special event for everyone! Half Term Chess Club Uxbridge Junior Chess Club are running a three day half term camp for children which may be of interest to some pupils. Mr. Foale, who runs the St. Helen's College Chess Clubs, will be amongst the staff leading the camp. You can find full details including timings, daily programmes and booking information here.
Posted on: 26/05/2023

Residential Trips

  Over many years at St. Helen’s College, I and the other staff have seen so many cohorts of children benefit from the opportunities offered here. We have, for example, seen the quietest, least confident Lower School children gradually develop their performance and public speaking skills until they have turned into stars of the Year 6 summer musical. We have seen children struggle with concepts or particular subjects in the classroom, only to have that lightbulb moment of understanding when something is explained to them in a new way. We have seen children practise and develop their musical skills from - and forgive my honesty, here, which is no criticism - somewhat tuneless scraping of violins to the playing of incredibly beautiful movements from concertos. It never ceases to amaze me how much the pupils’ knowledge, skills and talents grow during their time with us. What has always impressed me the most about St. Helen’s College and its pupils, though, is the journey of personal development that each child goes on during their time with us. The school’s programme of education and enrichment activities is constantly evolving to ensure that it absolutely reflects the St. Helen's College core belief that happiness and personal growth are key to a child’s success. Our residential trips, two of which have taken place this week, are a perfect example of this. The Year 6 children have spent this week at the Chateau De La Baudonniere in Normandy, France, while our Year 4 pupils have been at the stunningly beautiful Flatford Mill in Suffolk. Earlier this term, Year 3 enjoyed a residential trip to PACCAR Scout Camp and Year 5 spent a week at Little Canada on the Isle of Wight.  The educational aspects of these trips are carefully planned to enrich the children’s learning at school in many subject areas including geography, history, art, creative writing, science and languages. There is no doubt that the children gain new academic knowledge and skills during their stays away. But perhaps the most important gains they make from the residential trips are personal ones. Friendships are cemented and new life skills are developed such as making one’s own bed, developing the resilience to cope in a new environment, understanding that others may be finding things hard, being brave enough to try new things and learning to look at the world differently. The confidence and self-esteem that arise from being pushed out of one’s comfort zone and experiencing the success of overcoming personal challenges should not be underrated. The child who is afraid but survives that fear learns how to manage uncertainty and to trust in his or her ability to cope. The child who is supported by friends or teachers during a difficult night or through an illness away from home learns that it is alright to express needs and depend on other relationships outside of the home. The child who tries something new - whether that is eating a snail in France, taking the ‘leap of faith’ on the activity equipment in the Isle of Wight or anything else - develops the courage to have a go at things without, or despite, fear of the unknown or thoughts of failure. It sounds like an overstatement to say that we physically see the difference in classes of children back at school after residential trips, but it is not. Sometimes the children actually stand taller; sometimes they display more courage; sometimes they are better at articulating their thoughts or their needs. We often notice that they are more tolerant, more self-aware and more outward-looking. Always their friendships are strengthened and often their circle of friends is expanded. We hope that they also return home with a new appreciation for their parents and wider families and all that you do to support them on a daily - and nightly - basis. Mr. Lewis and I have been in school this week but we have been in touch with the staff who are away on the residential trips with the children. Their commitment to the children’s care and development has, as always, been outstanding. Like the children, they will return today extremely tired but very happy and they too will have gained new skills and new knowledge, tried new things and developed their friendships. They will also have gained a deeper understanding of the children’s characters which will enhance the relationships between staff and children back at school.  Meanwhile, staff at school have also worked extremely hard as a team to cover those staff away on residential trips and to ensure that the school has remained a lively, energised, interesting and productive environment for those children who have been here. It has been wonderful to see staff pulling together as always and I know that Ms Drummond is delighted that it has been such a super week at ‘home’ as well as ‘away’! The benefit of the St. Helen’s College programme of residential trips is enormous and long-lasting. We know that the trips can be exhausting for those involved and that Year 4 and Year 6 will spend the first days of half term recovering but it will have been worth it. Like Year 3 and Year 5 earlier this term, the Year 4 and 6 children will be - whether it is obvious immediately or not - more independent, more resilient, more responsible, more self-disciplined and more confident. Each of these qualities will underpin and enhance their self-worth and happiness. In short, they will have grown. Personal development like that is priceless. On behalf of Ms Drummond (who has been in France) and all of the staff, we wish you a happy, restful half term. Mrs. Smith
Posted on: 19/05/2023

Weekly News - Friday 19th May 2023

What a week of music, talent, learning, discovery and enrichment we have had here at St. Helen's College. Here is a snapshot of what has gone on at school over the last five days. Musicians' Concert Our Musicians' Concert on Tuesday evening was very well attended and really delivered what it had promised: an evening of super musicality! It was clear to see how hard our instrumentalists have been practising and what high standards they are reaching. There were many solo performances and we were also treated to music from our guitar ensemble, our string ensemble and, of course, our school orchestra. Well done to all of those pupils who performed and many thanks to all of the parents, staff and siblings who came along to support our musicians. Singing Competition On Friday our Middle and Upper School finalists took part in the final of our annual Singing Competition. There were solo and group performances and as ever the standard was quite astonishing for such young children. The confidence and musical talent of St. Helen's College pupils really is inspiring and our guest judge, Gracie Peters, found it hard to pick the winners. In the end, those chosen as winners were: Year 2 solo - runner up: Eleanor G, winner: Anoushka B. Year 3 solo - runner up: Shayna C, winner: Gurdaya J. Middle School group - runner up: Mahi B & Caitlin P, winner: Alana F & Shayla R. Overall Middle School winner: Gurdaya J.             Year 4 solo - runner up: Inaaya S, winner: Diya B. Year 5 solo - runner up: Samara P, winner: Senna G. Year 6 solo - runner up: Eshanvi A, winner: Oliver K. Upper School group - runner up: Xavier B & Aman B, winner: Zarifa D, Hana H & Grace O'H. Overall Upper School winner: Diya B.   House Talent Show Results On Monday morning staff and pupils at Upper School came together to watch the final of our House Talent Show, in which pupils from Middle School (Years 2/3) and Upper School (Years 4/5/6) performed their talents to us all. We were treated to piano playing, gymnastics, stand-up comedy, ventriloquism and singing and the standard was very high. Ms Drummond (the only member of staff not assigned to one of our four Houses) found her job as judge very difficult indeed, but the worthy winners were: Middle School: Parisa S (Ventriloquism) Upper School: Poppy H (Gymnastics) This means that it was a clean sweep for Cambria House!  Very well done to everyone who took part and especially to our finalists. We hope to make this an annual event so do encourage your children to think about any talents they may have or may wish to develop, however unusual. Robins Coffee Morning/Class Assembly The Robins Nursery class performed their summer class assembly to their families on Wednesday morning at Lower School, after their families had gathered together for coffee and croissants of course! The assembly told us all about mini-beasts and there was some super singing with actions - especially about the lifecycle of a caterpillar! Well done Robins. Reception Discovery Days On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, parents of our Reception classes (Owls and Kingfishers) came into school for Discovery Days, when they were able to experience a day in the life of a Reception child. All agreed that the children are extremely busy and that they are clearly having a lot of fun in their learning! Year 6 Road Safety Also on Wednesday our Year 6 classes took part in a workshop called 'The Incident at Station Road' which was a re-enactment of a road traffic accident, led by a theatre group called The Riot Act. There was an accident scene in which a 12 year old boy had been hit by a car while crossing the road. We heard from the police, the driver of the car and a cyclist who had swerved to avoid the child and whose bike had gone under a lorry. Luckily, he had been saved by his helmet. It was an informative and engaging performance. The Year 6 pupils were detectives and had to try to work out what had happened and who was at fault. It made everyone think about keeping safe and ensuring we focus when crossing the road and are not distracted by chat, screens or anything else as this can be so dangerous.  Nursery Trip to Hobbledown Heath Thursday saw our Nursery classes take a trip to Hobbledown Heath, where they had the opportunity to meet many of the animals including Muffin the alpaca, Willis the rabbit and Spice the guinea pig. The meerkats were having so much fun running between their enclosures and the reindeers were sleeping (saving their energy for their next adventures perhaps!). The children also explored the climbing equipment, water pillows (a firm favourite with both pupils and staff) and the sand areas. This was a wonderful trip and the staff were so proud of how well behaved the children all were throughout the day too. Author Visit On Thursday 15th June, author Nazneen Ahmed Pathak will be visiting us to speak to the children in Years 3-6 about her book City of Stolen Magic and to answer their questions about being an author and the writing process. We are sure this will be very inspiring for our children. There will also be an opportunity for the children to buy a signed copy of City of Stolen Magic. If you would like to pre-order a copy of the book ready to be signed and dedicated at school on the day, please click the link below and place your order through Chiltern Bookshops by 5 p.m. on Wednesday 14th June. Please note that only books purchased through this link will be signed and dedicated on the day. All orders will be delivered free to St. Helen's College. https://schools.chilternbookshops.co.uk/events/nazneen-ahmed-pathak-15th-june/  Staff Updates We will soon be saying goodbye to some members of staff who are leaving St. Helen's College to take the next steps on their journeys.  Ros Allery (5A class teacher) will be retiring at the end of this academic year. Mrs. Allery has been at St. Helen's College for twenty four years and has had a huge impact on so many children both as a class teacher and, for a long time, as our Head of Music. Mrs. Allery joined St. Helen's College as a part time teacher, then becoming full time and eventually taking on the Director of Music post. She has supported the school throughout her career and been instrumental in the children's academic and music successes. She is looking forward to a well-deserved rest, playing more tennis and spending more time with her family. We are sure you will join us in wishing her well and celebrating her career at St. Helen's College during her last half term. Natalie Wilcock (Welfare/Attendance Officer) will be leaving us in mid-June after three years to take up a new position with the London Borough of Hillingdon as their Attendance Support Officer. As part of the Multi Agency Support Hub, Mrs. Wilcock will be helping to ensure that all children in the borough, including those with medical and other special needs, get as much education as possible. We will miss her and wish her well in her new role. Parents will be delighted to know that Miss Gilbey, who is the Funtasia Supervisor and TALA at Upper School, will be extending her working hours to become the Upper School Welfare/Attendance Officer from September while continuing in her Funtasia role. Miss Gilbey knows the children and school systems well and is looking forward to working more closely with all of the children and families. Sarah Flemming (Holiday Club Manager and Robins TALA) is leaving us at the end of the summer term to go travelling again. Miss Flemming has always had the travel bug and we wish her well on her adventures to South America. We thank her for her commitment to St. Helen's College. Holly Hawkes (Peripatetic Vocal Coach and Choir Leader) will also be leaving at the end of term as she and her lovely young family are relocating to Cornwall. Holly was a pupil at St. Helen's College and has worked in Funtasia and Holiday Club before joining us as part of the music department. She was also a student at The Royal Masonic School in Rickmansworth, where Ms Drummond watched her musicality develop as a pupil.  Helen Collier (Peripatetic Violin Teacher) will also be leaving us in the summer to take up a more permanent post at another school. We thank her for her contributions to the musicality of our string musicians and wish her all the best for the future. We will be welcoming Peter Graddon, our new Premises Manager, to St. Helen's College on Monday 5th June. Mr. Graddon is joining us from South Africa and brings a wealth of experience to the school. We are sure that the St. Helen's College community will enjoy getting to know Mr. Graddon, who will be joining Mr. Smith and Mr. Fitzgerald on the Premises team. Next Week Here is a reminder of events/activities next week. All week - Year 6 residential trip to Chateau de la Baudonniere, Normandy, France. Wednesday 24th to Friday 26th May - Year 4 residential trip to Flatford Mill, Suffolk. Thursday 25th May - Wrens Nursery coffee morning and class assembly from 8.15 a.m. at Lower School. Parents Invited To Write More Blogs Parents have indicated that it would be lovely to have some more guest blogs from St. Helen's College parents as well as staff and we agree! If you feel moved to write about an aspect of school life/education or being a parent at St. Helen's College, please send your ideas/suggestions to susmith@sthelenscollege.com and we will be glad to work with you on content and arrange a date for your blog to be published on the school website. Hillingdon Leisure Complex Fun Weeks Hillingdon Sports & Leisure Centre will be hosting 'fun week' camps during May half term and over the summer holidays which might be of interest to children in Years 1 - 6.  Details are here.
Posted on: 19/05/2023

Perilous Perfectionism

Many of you are aware that we are incredibly fortunate to have Mrs. Brooker on our staff at St. Helen’s College who is a trained counsellor. She is based at the Upper School but is available to all pupils and staff as another element of our pupil wellbeing support. Pupils can self refer or parents and staff can request a ‘Time to Talk’ session for a pupil in addition to the pastoral support we already provide.  Mrs. Brooker supports the staff with wellbeing ideas too and she often shares superb blogs, podcasts and activities for us all to keep upskilling staff and supporting us in our roles with the children. I have frequently asked Mrs. Brooker to write a guest blog for us and thus far she has declined - believe it or not - with her own fear around failing and something being ‘published’ and it not being good enough - oh, the irony! However, it is so important that adults are self-aware and recognise our fears - such as fear of failure - so that we know how they may affect how we work with the children and prepare them for the next steps in their learning journey.  I am delighted that Mrs. Brooker has taken on the challenge of writing for us and has overcome that fear of failure or her blog not being good enough! I am sure that her blog will resonate with us all and give some helpful tips. Thank you Mrs. Brooker.  Ms Drummond   I heard this week how a child had become so distraught after getting one of their spelling words wrong in a test that they became angry and refused to engage in play at break. This intense distress continued all day and by home time, they insisted that their parent write to the class teacher to assure them that they had definitely learned their spelling words that week and that it was just a slight mistake in their handwriting, not that they hadn’t learnt their spellings properly. Imagine how the child had felt as the correct spellings were read aloud that day. Can you picture the enormity of their fear of that one mistake? Perhaps the child immediately felt sick or their heart started to pound in their chest. Their legs may have felt tingly and they may have started to sweat. Rage and fear may have started to rumble in their stomach and this could have triggered angry, self-critical thoughts about themselves like, ‘You’re such a failure!’ ‘You’re always getting things wrong!’ ‘Everyone will laugh at you now!’. Automatic negative thoughts like these would have sent off messages back to the body that it is in danger and the child’s fight or flight response may have been triggered. Perfectionism can become a problem when it fuels our anxiety and depression about who we are or who we are not. It can lead someone to feel like they are never good enough or they can’t enjoy any present accomplishments because they are worried about a future mistake or failure. Some symptoms of perfectionism are: Difficulty completing work because it is ‘never good enough’ High anxiety surrounding failure or mistakes High sensitivity to criticism or constructive feedback Low frustration tolerance to mistakes Procrastinating around difficult tasks Self-critical, self-conscious and easily embarrassed Very critical of other people Here are some tips to manage symptoms of perfectionism: Self-esteem: Encourage your child to engage in activities that support them feeling good about themselves. Control: Explore with your child what they can control and what is outside of their control. Self-talk: Encourage your child to offer themselves some kindness and compassion for the effort that went into a task rather than self-criticism. Expectations: Check in occasionally to see whose expectations your child is looking to meet. Effort: Remember to praise the effort your child has made and remind them it is not about the grade, it is about how much they tried. Goals: Keep goals realistic and challenging, but most of all fun! Share: Share stories of how you have failed, how you coped and what you may have learned from the experience. Coping skills: Understand that failure can feel uncomfortable, but help your children to manage their disappointment, rejection and mistakes in a healthy way. Suggest offering themselves some compassion or they could do a couple of star jumps, splash some cold water on their face, talk to a friend, write a journal or draw a picture to support themselves through their difficult emotions. Mrs. Brooker
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